Family Values @Work Action joins advocates in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and New York in voter outreach efforts with emphasis on paid leave, affordable child care

NATIONAL – This week, drivers in Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, and New York will see new billboards urging voters to consider family-friendly policies including affordable child care, paid family leave, and increased support for elder care when they cast their vote this Election Day. The billboards will run in Atlanta, Detroit, Phoenix, and Utica until Nov. 5, 2024. The sponsoring coalition includes Family Values @Work Action, Oakland Forward (Michigan), Poder Latinx (Arizona and Georgia), and Citizen Action of New York.

Billboards for Arizona, Michigan, and New York direct audiences to the website for the groups’ Vote4Care campaign (www.vote4care.org), where audiences can find crucial details about voting and what they’ll find on their ballot. The billboards feature several messages:

Atlanta, Georgia: Vote your values! Because the care your family deserves is a priority.

Detroit, Michigan: More than 3.8 million workers in MI lack paid family & medical leave. Your vote could change that.

Phoenix, Arizona: Vote to build a care economy that works for all.

Utica, New York: 1.5 million New Yorkers can’t afford quality childcare. Our families deserve better!

Carol Joyner, Executive Director of Family Values @Work Action, said, “Paid leave, affordable child care, and sustainable long-term care support for older adults and people with disabilities aren’t just nice-to-haves, they’re essential. Our billboard campaign drives home the message that care can’t wait. Families deserve the support they need to thrive, and it’s clear that care is on the ballot this year. Family Values @Work Action is proud to join Poder Latinx in leading this charge. We encourage voters to join us in electing leaders who will support an economy that works for all of us.” 

Yadira Sánchez, Executive Director of Poder Latinx, said, “Latino families deserve more than just survival—they deserve the opportunity to thrive. Access to affordable child care and paid leave isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity that allows us to balance work and family life with dignity. These billboards are a powerful reminder to voters of what’s at stake in this election. By voting for candidates who support these critical policies, we are not only protecting our families but also investing in a stronger, more prosperous future for all of us. We encourage the Latino community to use their voice and their vote to build a brighter tomorrow.”

Kermit Williams, Co-Executive Director of Oakland Forward Action Fund, said, “We’ve been out talking to Oakland County voters for months now. Like far too many Michiganders, they’re being forced to choose between a paycheck and necessary care for themselves and their loved ones. This billboard is helping us get the message out that we need elected leaders that will bring us paid family and medical leave and a strong care economy to move Michigan forward. It’s never been more important to make our voices heard. Every vote counts.”

Rebecca Garrard, Deputy Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York, said, “Child care is a basic right that is necessary for a just society. Yet, both nationally and in New York, countless children lack access to safe, sustainable care. In New York alone, 1.5 million children from primarily low-income, Black, and brown communities have no equitable child care options. This is both a gender and racial justice issue, and we are proud to stand with our partners at Family Values @Work Action to ensure that care issues are at the forefront of voters’ minds.”

Newly-released polling shows that voter support for paid leave continues to rise, with 91% of voters supporting paid family and medical leave (54% strongly). Support was even higher among suburban women (95%, 58% strongly) and non-college women (95%, 62% strongly). This is the highest level of public support shown for the issue since it has been polled publicly. Further, voters overwhelmingly (88%) support closing corporate tax loopholes to invest in paid leave, child care, and long-term care.

The care economy is a highly motivating issue for voters in battleground states, including Michigan. Strong majorities of Democrats (74%), young voters of color (56%), and Millennial and Gen Z low turnout voters (55%) are much more likely to vote for a candidate who will address the problems of affordable child care, total abortion bans, and the lack of national paid leave for their families. This also applies to half of suburban women (50%) and a plurality of younger Independents (48%) and Independent women (45%).

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact Carolyn Davis at media@familyvaluesaction.org or 214-395-8149.

Family Values @ Work Action works in partnership with their state coalitions to build political power among historically disenfranchised voters in the movement for care and caregiving and other economic security issues through public education and civic engagement strategies.

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