Top 3 Lessons from Our Conversation with the Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce
Today, IGCI Board Chair Marjorie Clifton and I had the opportunity to speak with members of the Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce about civic engagement, workplace culture, and why nonpartisan voter education has become a business issue in Texas. While the conversation covered a lot of ground, three lessons stood out clearly. Each one was first raised or affirmed by Ryan Wilson, the chamber’s director of corporate relations, and other business leaders on the Zoom.
1. Political tension shows up at work long before leaders feel prepared for it
Ryan named this early and clearly. Political moments rarely arrive as “policy discussions.” They arrive as Slack threads, awkward meetings, employee tweets, or questions HR never expected to answer. Marjorie described seeing this firsthand through years of crisis communications work. I shared a similar experience from my time leading communications at a Texas-based semiconductor company, where a single post-election email triggered employee backlash, board scrutiny, and media attention.
The lesson is simple and sobering. Political tension is unavoidable in today’s workplace, but most organizations lack a shared framework for responding. When companies default to silence or ad-hoc reactions, trust erodes and risk increases. Civic engagement, approached thoughtfully, gives leaders a steady, values-based response instead of a reactive one.
2. Employees want civic information, but they want it to be nonpartisan and practical
Ryan validated something we hear often but rarely see acknowledged publicly. Employees are not asking their employers to tell them how to vote. Employees are asking for clear, trusted information that helps them participate without fear or confusion. That matters because the information environment is broken. Trust in media is declining. Election rules change frequently. Many highly educated professionals don’t know when primaries happen or how much they matter.
Nonpartisan civic education fills that gap in a way that aligns with corporate culture, CSR efforts, and community service. When employers provide basic voter information, key dates, and system literacy, employees feel supported rather than pressured.
The result is not political advocacy. It’s confidence, reduced tension, and a stronger culture.
3. Texas primaries quietly decide the environment businesses operate in
This lesson was the moment that landed hardest in the Zoom. Many business leaders closely track legislation, but they often underestimate how early decisions are made.
In Texas, primary elections decide the overwhelming majority of statewide and legislative races. Yet only a small, unrepresentative share of Texans vote in them. That disconnect has real consequences for workforce development, healthcare access, education pipelines, taxes, and long-term economic competitiveness. We discussed with Ryan that if businesses care about the Texas economy and inclusive growth, they can’t afford to ignore voter turnout in primaries.
This is why IGC Institute built the content and experience around March Matters. This nonpartisan, public information campaign equips trusted messengers, including employers, chambers, and community organizations, with simple tools and info to help people prepare for the primaries.
No endorsements. No advocacy. Just clarity.
Why Our Conversation Matters
We closed the session by sharing that even one poster in a break room, one calendar reminder, or one shared guide can make a difference. Ryan’s partner is the perfect model for this behavior. He leaves voting guides in his workplace breakroom every election. This proves that civic engagement doesn’t require grand gestures. It requires trusted voices, clear information, and the courage to meet people where they are. For LGBTQ-inclusive employers in Texas, that work is not just civic. It is cultural, economic, and deeply human.
If you are interested in learning more about nonpartisan civic education for workplaces, or about the March Matters campaign, we are always here to help. Special thanks to our friends at the Houston LGBT Chamber for kicking off Texas primaries with a thoughtful event.