Time for banks to get out the vote

Tell your customers, your shareholders and your employees which candidates are most supportive of the banking industry and encourage them to vote.”

As bankers, we all know the importance of the banking industry. We know community banks produce the grease for the wheels of the economic engine to this country. We also know that politics oftentimes drives policy. 

Good government will allow banks to serve their customers without governmental intrusion. Bad government can hinder a bank’s ability to serve its customers and bring that economic engine to a crawl. That is why a pro-banking candidate is best for our customers, our communities and our banks. 

It is not necessarily important if the candidate is Republican or Democrat, so long as he or she is going to represent our constituency by supporting the banking industry. If a politician supports the banking industry, then he or she is supporting bank customers. As a banker told me one day, “You cannot beat up on banks without beating up bank customers.”

As we approach the November general election, I think it is time to start talking about the political races in our local communities, as well as the state races and the races for our representation in Washington D.C. 

I have found that as a banker, I seem to be more in tune with the elections and familiar with the candidates than my customers, my shareholders and even my employees. It is the banker that usually knows who is running for what office, which candidates are most pro-business and, more importantly, pro-bank. Because of that, I like to take the liberty of discussing candidates with my customers, my shareholders and my employees. I also tell them about the importance of voting.

Thomas Jefferson once said, “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” Each of us as bankers have shareholders and employees who depend on the bank’s success. They have their money invested in the bank or they depend on the bank for their own livelihoods. 

We all have customers that need the products and services that each of our banks provide, so we cannot be timid about talking politics with our staff and customers. You as a bank leader know the issues and the candidates. Tell your customers, your shareholders and your employees which candidates are most supportive of the banking industry and encourage them to vote.

We have a great staff at the Texas Bankers Association. Their sole purpose is to support the banking industry and Texas banks in particular. If you need help knowing who is a pro-bank candidate in Texas, please contact Celeste Embrey, John Heasley or Chris Furlow. They can be helpful in telling you about candidates across Texas running for State Representative or State Senator and those running for Congress in Washington D.C. 

There are more than 150,000 bankers in Texas. If we all get behind the candidates who support our customers and our industry, we can make a positive impact in the elections.

This is another reason the TBA BankPac is so vital to our banks. It takes a lot of money to run successful political campaigns. By helping the candidates who support banking with that BankPac money, it helps us get our voices heard. I have seen it firsthand. They remember who helped them financially to get elected, just like a business remembers the banker that helped them get off the ground with their loan. That is why, when issues come up and we need those in Austin or Washington D.C. to hear our position before they decide on how to vote, the candidates who we helped are willing to listen and make decisions that help our industry and the people who rely on our banks. 

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