AUBURN – Your mother may have told you it’s not polite to discuss politics during business hours, but Richard Merk is out to prove her wrong.

A corporate general manager with Hancock Lumber, Merk is canvassing the state to tell business owners and employers that it’s not just OK for people to talk about politics at work, it’s an obligation.

Merk said that when he started at Hancock Lumber back in 1979, no one discussed politics.

“We thought we’d lose customers,” he said.

But today, surveys show four of every five employees want to get information from their employers about elections, candidates and issues.

“Who knows more about your personal economic conditions than your employer?” he asked. “I think most employers and employees are the silent majority.”

Merk delivered his message to a crowd gathered at Lost Valley for the monthly Chamber of Commerce meeting Thursday. As an emissary for the nonprofit advocacy group Alliance for Maine’s Future, he is appearing at as many forums as he can to let people know business has a responsibility to get the vote out and get involved.

His message is couched in more than just a cloak of civic responsibility. There are real, bottom-line issues at stake in the upcoming elections. According to research compiled by AMF, Maine’s business climate is bleak. Among the statistics cited by Merk:

• Maine has the second-highest tax burden in the nation.

• The cost of doing business in Maine is 10 percent higher than the national average; the tax burden on business is 3.7 percent higher.

• Out of a $6 billion to $7 billion budget, the state is projecting a deficit of more than $750 million for the next two-year budget cycle

• In a census data comparison of the periods 1998-2000 and 2001-2003, Maine was the only New England state to lose ground in its median household income, falling from $39,800 to $37,600.

“Our economic conditions are totally undesirable,” Merk said. “It restricts us in our businesses and in our communities.”

To improve those conditions, business needs to get involved by getting workers to the polls. AMF tries to help that process by offering tools. Directions for absentee voting and how to register to vote are available on its Web site at www.allianceformaine.org. It also offers tips on getting information about issues and candidates to workers through e-mails and posters, as well as suggesting stuffing paychecks with notes reminding people to vote.

Merk said businesses should help employees vote by being flexible about hours on Election Day. One Maine employer decided to give every employee an hour off with pay to vote, after learning only three of his 30 employees voted in the last election.

Merk said AMF hopes to have a significant impact on this year’s election. While its primary focus is to get people to the polls, it also recruits and supports candidates who will pledge to improve Maine’s business climate.

Merk said that in other states where AMF-type organizations are established, there’s been an increase in voter participation of about 14 percent increase.

“We’re hoping for similar results,” said Merk. “Attitudes have to change.”