More corporations are speaking out against Georgia’s voter reform law, otherwise known as Senate Bill 202.
Officials at Microsoft, American Express, Google and others this week condemned SB 202 as a form of voter suppression.
This, despite Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s adamant denials. As reported, Major League Baseball officials have already announced that SB 202 prompted them to move the previously scheduled All-Star Game and MLB Draft out of Atlanta. But Kemp said Saturday that “the facts and the truth don’t support their narrative.”
Officials at the following companies, in addition to MLB, Coca-Cola, and Delta Airlines, have spoken out against SB 202:
• Google: Senior Vice-President for Global Affairs Kent Walker tweeted last week that he was “concerned about efforts to restrict voting at a local level.”
We've long created tools and resources to make it easier for people to vote. But knowing how to vote depends on people being able to vote. We're concerned about efforts to restrict voting at a local level and we strongly support the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
— Kent Walker (@Kent_Walker) March 31, 2021
• Patagonia Works: Company CEO Ryan Gellert said in a press release that “our democracy is under attack by a new wave of Jim Crow bills that seek to restrict the right to vote.”
• Microsoft: President Brad Smith, in a blog post, said he and other company officials were “concerned by the law’s impacts on communities of color, on every voter, and on our employees and their families.”
• American Express: Company CEO Steve Squeri said on his LinkedIn page limiting the right to vote was wrong.
• Cisco Systems: CEO Chuck Robbins tweeted that “governments should be working to make it easier to vote, not harder.”
Voting is a fundamental right in our democracy. Our vote is our voice, and everyone deserves the opportunity to be heard. Governments should be working to make it easier to vote, not harder. Ensuring equal #VotingRights isn't a political issue, it's an issue of right and wrong.
— Chuck Robbins (@ChuckRobbins) March 31, 2021
• Civic Alliance: Officials in a press release accused lawmakers of imposing “barriers that result in longer lines at the polls or that reduce access to secure ballot drop boxes.” More than 1,100 companies belong to the Civic Alliance, according to the group’s website, including Amazon, Best Buy, Gibson Brands, Levi’s, Macy’s, Target, and Uber.
As The Georgia Star News reported, Kemp on Saturday told Major League Baseball officials and executives at Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines that he will not buckle under their pressure. Kemp, flanked by several supporters at the Georgia State Capitol, said he will not do away with SB 202. The governor also told state residents that Democrat and former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is lying about the new law and fundraising off of her lies.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA03) also spoke — and they spoke bluntly to anyone who wants to pass off SB 202 as “racist.”
Kemp said SB 202 expands access to voting, protects no-excuse absentee voting, levels the playing field on voter ID requirements, and streamlines election procedures.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Voter integrity is the foundation upon which voting rights rest.
This whole furor is a prevarication. And it undermines the “social justice” they claim to support.
These corporations insult the voters they claim to protect.
The corporation listed are at the top of the Who’s Who list of leftwing socialists. SO why would anyone be surprised?
1) Have we considered that “making it harder to vote” may not be such a bad thing? If it is too easy to vote, people stop seeing the value of doing it. It should be an effort, one we have to make a decision to do.
2) Darn tootin’ this bill/law is designed to suppress votes. It’s designed to suppress votes from people who:
*already voted
*are not citizens
*are not residents of the area
*are dead
*manage to survive in our society without a legal ID.
*are otherwise ineligible to vote (like in prison?)