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  • Chris Rush of the State Chamber of Oklahoma presents the Prosperity Project at Ada Area Chamber of Commerce's monthly legislative luncheon.

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June 1, 2010

Prosperity project presented

Ada Evening News

Ada — By Justin Lofton

Staff Writer

ADA—Chris Rush of the State Chamber of Oklahoma presented the Prosperity Project Friday at the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly legislative luncheon.

Rush said the project is an attempt to increase voting registration and knowledge of issues among Oklahoma’s workforce in regard to economic development.

“How do we put a spotlight on Democrats and Republicans who know how to spell economic development?” Rush asked.

She said through studies by the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, it was discovered that most people trusted information about political issues when it came from their employers.  She said average voting participation is around 61 percent.

“For companies that just take a couple simple steps, you’ll find that 90 percent of your voters will go to the polls,” Rush said.  “They’ll come back with that, ‘I voted,’ sticker and they’ll be excited because they felt like they knew what they were doing this time.”

She said the Prosperity Project was a free program that effectively increased voter knowledge and participation.

“All it takes for you to get the materials and implement it is to give us your e-mail address and the amount of employees you have,” she said.  “We’re going to help you get the materials to help the folks that you work with register to vote, get out there on election day and get informed.”

Rush said the project would send a yes or no question survey to prospective candidates regarding economic issues.

“We normally get between 75 percent and 85 percent response rates,” she said.

Prospective voters can visit the Prosperity Project website and see how the candidates they’ll be voting for answered as well as take the survey themselves.  She said the program is non-partisan.

“We never say, ‘Yes,’ or, ‘No,’ is the right answer because we simply wouldn’t tell people how to vote and we do not,” she said.

She said employers would also have access to posters for the break room and other printable items that would remind their employees to vote.

“This is so huge what you guys can do.  You may have a competitive race here.  You may not.  That doesn’t matter,” she said.  “You’re teaching people how important it is to go to the polls and empowering them with the tools to really make them feel like it was worth their time.”

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