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Columbia Business Monthly

The Business Narrative: Going to the Polls

Oct 17, 2022 01:08PM ● By David Dykes

Gallup: Most Americans Favor Early Voting, Absentee Ballots

With the midterm elections less than a month away, a Gallup poll found that large majorities of Americans favor three measures meant to make voting easier: early voting (78 percent in favor), automatic voter registration (65 percent) and sending absentee ballots to all eligible voters (60 percent).

Majorities of Americans also oppose two measures that could make voting harder: removing inactive voters from voter lists (60 percent) and limiting the number of drop boxes for absentee ballots (59 percent).

One restrictive policy that most Americans (79 percent) are on board with, however, is requiring photo identification to vote.

While various combinations of these policies have been adopted by states over the past decade, in 2020, the pandemic introduced a health-based impetus to facilitate more absentee ballot voting that some states are now building on and others are rolling back.

Of the six policies tested this year, sending absentee ballot applications to all eligible voters is the most politically polarized. Democrats favor this policy over Republicans by a 61-percentage-point margin, 88 percent versus 27 percent.

There is a much smaller partisan gap with respect to automatic voter registration, favored by 81 percent of Democrats and nearly half of Republicans (47 percent).

Sizable party differences are also seen for limiting the number of drop boxes for absentee ballots and removing lapsed voters from voter registration lists.

About six in 10 Republicans favor each of these positions, compared with fewer than two in 10 Democrats.

Majorities of Republicans and Democrats favor early voting as well as requiring a photo ID to vote, although large party gaps exist on these as well. Having an early-vote option for all voters is backed by virtually all Democrats (95 percent) as well as 60 percent of Republicans, while requiring all voters to show photo ID is supported by 97 percent of Republicans and 53 percent of Democrats.

Sizable party differences are also seen for limiting the number of drop boxes for absentee ballots and removing lapsed voters from voter registration lists. About six in 10 Republicans favor each of these positions, compared with fewer than two in 10 Democrats.

Influential Announces Partnership with Greenville’s UniComm Media Group

Influential, the influencer marketing company, announced a partnership with UniComm Media Group (UMG), a Hispanic-owned agency that helps brands craft creative strategies to reach Hispanic audiences through deep cultural knowledge and insights.

The partnership will enable brands to leverage UMG’s multi-step creative ideation process and Influential’s influencer marketing tools to ensure that content resonates with Hispanic consumers.

Influential is an AI-powered social intelligence platform (backed by IBM Watson) with massive platform partnerships with TikTok, Instagram and more.

The company creates opportunities for its user base of over 3 million influencers to connect with Fortune 1000 brand partners like McDonald’s, NBA, NFL, Pepsi, and more.

The partnership with UMG aims to increase content from diverse creators that will scale and deliver higher engagement and purchase intent among relevant segments.

UMG is a full-service marketing and advertising consulting firm in Greenville, South Carolina. The company’s client base is wide-ranging, but its specialty is in the Hispanic market.

The Hispanic market responds to different mediums and promotional strategies. From nuances within the Spanish language to the unique ways the Hispanic market responds to a company's marketing efforts, each detail influences a company's marketing campaign. 

“Multicultural means multidimensional,” said Ramon Nieves, principal and CEO at UMG. 

“The Hispanic market is expected to grow by over 60 percent in the next 20 years. Through our relationship with Influential, we can leverage the accelerated growth of the Hispanic community and create a space where we will see more engagement through meaningful, diverse content.”

BlueWATER Civil Design Names Four New Partners

BlueWATER Civil Design announced that Christopher W. Brown, Christina L. Drake, Michael H. MacNabb, and Jeremy S. Ritchie have been elected to the firm’s partnership.

Offering a broad range of civil engineering specialties, the newly elected partners will continue to serve as an integral part of blueWATER Civil Design’s success. 

“We are pleased to elect Christopher, Chrissy, Mike, and Jeremy to our partnership and congratulate them on this significant milestone in their careers,” said Chris Price, founding partner and professional engineer for blueWATER Civil Design.

“As our company ventures into its next phase of growth, we look forward to seeing the contributions of each of these valued partners.”

With a focus on civil site design and water resources, Brown is experienced in a range of projects including commercial and industrial with a primary focus on residential single-family detached, townhomes, and multi-family projects.

Drake has a range of experience in designing residential subdivisions, mixed-use developments, apartment complexes, commercial sites, and playgrounds.

MacNabb’s expertise encompasses a range of specialty design areas including commercial, office, apartments, hotels, parks and recreation, and schools.

With experience in commercial, industrial, multi-family and residential site development, Ritchie focuses on residential single-family detached and townhome developments.

blueWATER Civil Design has deep roots in the Upstate working with private developers, contractors, municipalities, government agencies, school boards, churches, sewer authorities, water authorities, and other engineering firms on projects of all sizes across multiple states.

Myrtle Beach Announces Fall Festivals, Events

Myrtle Beach tourism officials have announced a host of autumn activities for visitors in October and November.

“Myrtle Beach is an ideal destination in October and November for travelers who want to savor sunny getaways with fun activities and events for the whole family, and even some spooky experiences throughout the fall,” said Karen Riordan, president and CEO of Visit Myrtle Beach

Upcoming events include:

  • Oktoberfest at Barefoot Landing on Oct. 30, featuring German-inspired food and beverages, as well as contests and live music
  • Myrtle Beach Fall Jerk Fest on Oct. 30 in downtown Myrtle Beach, spotlighting the unique flavor of jerk cuisine of the African and Taíno cultures in Jamaica. The event also features live music, food trucks, and a wine tasting
  • Surfside Beach Family Festival on Nov. 5, with live music, food trucks, and family activities. Proceeds benefit the Garden City and Surfside Beach South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts
  • iLove Seafood Fest, Nov. 4-5, with cooking demonstrations, live entertainment, and an abundance of lobster, crab, shrimp, and more.

For more info, go to www.visitmyrtlebeach.com.

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