Lezlee Westine
President & CEO, Personal Care Products Council
More and more people are voting. Nearly 155 million people voted in the 2020 presidential election – significantly more than the 137.5 million who voted in 2016. Coincidently, 2020 was the year the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and our member companies launched the Beauty Counts…Time to Vote industry pledge, an effort to encourage civic engagement and a safe environment for employees to vote. Clearly, voting behaviors are changing.
Meanwhile, other changes are unfolding. According to the U.S. Census, approximately 60% of voters voted in person in 2016. The Covid-19 pandemic changed people’s behavior. In the 2020 election, 69% of voters voted early or cast their ballot by mail. How will voters choose to participate in the November 2022 midterm elections? Will they return to in-person voting or continue to rely on mail-in ballots?
However individuals choose to exercise their right to vote, leaders in the beauty and personal care products industry are pledging their support again this year. Building on the effort launched in 2020, 20 companies have signed the Beauty Counts…Time to Vote pledge to date this year, providing employees flexibility and/or meaningful time off to vote in the upcoming midterm election. Employees can also use the time to volunteer at the polls or engage in other appropriate activities that strengthen a culture of civic engagement.
As we said when we launched this effort, physically getting to the polls can be difficult, and no one should have to choose between earning a paycheck and casting a ballot. Everyone who has the right to vote should also have the opportunity. And that’s what the Beauty Counts pledge is all about.
Beauty and personal care companies thrive when employees are engaged citizens who actively participate in their communities. I know that we are but one piece of an extensive and vibrant network of organizations and individuals working to promote voter engagement.
Now in our third year of the Beauty Counts pledge, I remain so proud of the beauty and personal care industry for coming together to encourage employees to engage in civic-minded activities. And I urge everyone – within our industry and beyond – to never take for granted the right to vote.
Whether you vote early, by mail-in ballot or in person on November 8, remember that every vote counts and you are making a beautiful difference.
