As national news and conversations continue to blare on about the controversial presidential race in the run-up to the general election, we encourage the business community to pause and do their homework on the rest of the candidates and issues on the ballot.

Though it may be harder than ever to get past all the national election noise, we know successful business owners, managers and entrepreneurs share a key common trait: They are strategic thinkers who often anticipate what’s ahead. 

That’s why it’s more important than ever to make sure our future elected officials are advocates for the business community and in tune with the challenges businesses face.

We offer some advice and resources for making these business-minded decisions when voters sit down to tick off the boxes on their ballots, which hit mailboxes in mid-October.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Vote for Business guide (tricityregionalchamber.com/vote-for-business.html) offers a clearinghouse of where candidates stand on topics the business community cares about – at least those who took the time to participate in the exercise. We give a tip of the hat to those who did.

Questions posed range from what actions they’d support to strengthen small business and entrepreneurship to how they would address what they believe are the greatest economic challenges facing the Tri-City region.

While the regional chamber doesn’t endorse candidates, the state’s largest business association does.

Since 1992, the Association of Washington Business has been bringing together candidates for statewide office to debate their ideas before employers and the public. Our group publisher, Paul Read, moderated a recent debate between the state attorney general candidates in Spokane, where he pointed out that such discussions help voters to better understand the candidates and the roles they will play if elected.

The AWB offers recommendations on the four ballot initiatives, as well as vetted endorsements for statewide candidates, including state senators and representatives. Go to: awb.org/government-affairs/2024-election-hq.

We encourage the business community to review these guides to better understand the issues and candidates so their selections align with their business values and long-term strategic plan. We must choose representatives who will prioritize the needs of business and serve as our economic advocates.