Firefly Health supports employees’ right to vote through non-partisan initiative

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Watertown, MA – August 18, 2020 – Firefly Health, along with more than 200 CEOs from around the country, today announced participation in A Day for Democracy, a growing coalition founded by CEOs and leaders of top-ranked firms in industries including finance, real estate and construction, venture capital, higher education, entertainment, hospitality and healthcare that have pledged to increase voter registration and participation of their employees.

The non-partisan initiative asks employers across the U.S. to commit to take action towards giving employees time off to vote, and/or to help workers register and access their right to vote – in local, state and national elections – on their terms, whether at polling locations or from the safety of their own home. They can use a responsible online platform of their choice or work with turbovote.org, a leading online service through which employees can register, receive election reminders, and obtain a mail-in ballot if they wish to use one.

“Participating in elections is an important freedom for Americans,” said Firefly Health Executive Chairman Jonathan Bush, who joined the coalition. “At Firefly Health, we know we can positively impact voter turnout by removing potential obstacles for our employees and encouraging other employers to join this effort.”

Joining Bush in A Day for Democracy are Peter Palandjian, Chairman and CEO of Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation, who created the coalition; Anne Finucane, Vice Chairman of Bank of America; Miceal Chamberlain, Bank of America’s Massachusetts Market President; Tom Croswell, President of Tufts Health Plan; Andrew Dreyfus, CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; Robert Reynolds, President and CEO of Putnam Investments; Larry Bacow, President of Harvard University; Linda Henry, Managing Director of The Boston Globe; Betsy Nabel, President of Brigham Health; Steve Pagliuca, Co-Chairman of Bain Capital; and over 150 other companies including Amblin Partners, Starwood Capital, Tely-vision, Bluebird Bio and Wayfair Inc. The growing list of participants in the coalition can be found at www.aDayforDemocracy.com.

The U.S. has one of the lowest voter participation rates of any democracy in the world. Less than 56 percent of the U.S. voting age population cast ballots in the last presidential election, and even fewer voted during the mid-term elections in 2014. Almost every other democracy holds elections on the weekend to make it easier to vote, and many that hold them during the week designate the day as a holiday.

This year, because of the pandemic, U.S. voters face an additional, unique set of challenges. While many states are increasing voting-by-mail opportunities to accommodate these circumstances, several specific steps are required to participate, including:

• confirming voter registration and registering if necessary
• requesting an application to vote by mail
• receiving, completing, and submitting that application
• receiving, completing, and returning the ballot on time‍

“As a nation, we have an obligation to ensure that we reduce barriers and allow every citizen the opportunity to exercise their right to vote,” said Palandjian. “In rallying the support of employers across the country, we hope this movement will continue beyond this year and will reinvigorate the civic engagement of our country.”

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About Firefly Health 

Modern healthcare needs to be turned on its head. We don't need better telehealth; we need a totally innovative model of primary care that is once and for all built around people, not doctors. Firefly Health is, and always has been, a virtual-first primary care, behavioral health, and navigation service that lights the path to better health and better care. Visit https://firefly.health to learn more.

‍About A Day for Democracy‍

A Day for Democracy is a non-partisan initiative founded by CEOs to encourage employers across the U.S. to take a pledge to help increase voter participation in the U.S. In taking the pledge, these leaders are committing to take action to give employees time off to vote, and/or to help workers register and access their right to vote – in local, state and national elections – on their terms, whether at polling locations or from the safety of their own home. To learn more, and to join CEOs across the U.S. in taking this pledge, visit www.aDayforDemocracy.com.

‍‍Media Contact:‍

Maddie Clair
Solomon McCown & Cence
(617) 716-9457
mclair@solomonmccown.com 

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