Their Civic Alliance positions itself as a “non-partisan group of businesses working together to build a future where everyone participates in shaping the country”.
The U.S. is holding the presidential election today, and this year, the process is especially hot and loud. To ensure that the election is fair and unbiased, more than 993 companies have joined forces and created a non-partisan group called Civic Alliance. The members include blockchain company Ripple, online payments giant PayPal Holdings Inc (NYSE: PYPL), and social media platform Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR).
We believe voting should be safe and accessible to everyone, everywhere. That's why Ripple is 100% in #ForDemocracy with @CivicAlliance. https://t.co/cElz3dp4Tc pic.twitter.com/djGzEuTEY1
— Ripple (@Ripple) November 2, 2020
Civic Alliance positions itself as a “non-partisan group of businesses working together to build a future where everyone participates in shaping the country”. The group encourages Americans to participate in elections, empowers U.S. employees to vote and be civically active, as well as provides champion civic engagement opportunities in U.S. communities.
The group’s website reads:
“Each of our companies is unique. Yet, we are united by these nonpartisan values: Every American has a voice in our democracy. Voting should be safe and accessible to all. Elections should be fair and transparent.”
The employee count of the Alliance has totaled more than 5 million people. Among the companies that have joined the group are Twitter, Ripple, PayPal, Unilever, H&M, Facebook, Hilton, Edelman, and more.
U.S. Election Process
This Tuesday is not a usual one. It is a great day for American citizens who are choosing between the incumbent Republican Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Both men are in their 70s. If the Americans vote for Trump, he will be the oldest second-term president in U.S. history, as he will be 74 at the time of the 2021 inauguration. If Biden is elected, he will become the oldest person to serve as president at 78 years old on the day of his inauguration.
The key issues at the 2020 election include COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the economy, race and criminal justice, healthcare, as well as foreign relations and immigration issues.
The tensions between the two candidates started at their first debate. Since then, Trump and Biden have been slinging mud at each other. Their views on major problems the U.S. is now facing totally differ. Therefore, their race is extremely tough.
Donald Trump has been behind the polls till Monday. However, he still has a chance to take over Biden. The first polls have opened today at 05:00 EST (10:00 GMT) in Vermont. It can take several days for every vote to be counted after the election, but it is likely to be pretty clear who the winner is by the early hours of the following morning.