A result of new voting legislation has caused a stir among progressive activists, which has led some large corporations to take a political stand. Some corporations and managers have opposed the new bills, especially in Georgia.
Amazon, General Motors and others have issued a joint statement in opposition to voting restrictions. Earlier this month, Major League Baseball reportedly moved the All-Star Game out of Georgia in protest of the new bill, and Delta Airlines chief executive said the voting law was ‘unacceptable’.
‘Well, of course the companies have no idea what they’re talking about [from] many of their objections, it’s pretty clear they didn ‘t read the bill, “said Hans von Spakovsky, senior lawyer at Heritage Foundation.
“They do not seem to understand this … the requirements of Georgia law really do not differ that much from many other states across the country,” he said. “In some ways, their legislation is less strict than places like New York and New Jersey.”
Georgia’s new law requires voters to vote for absenteeism, restrict the use of drops and restrict the distribution of food and water to voters waiting in line near polling stations. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
Opponents of such bills say they opt for low-income voters who are less flexible to vote during business hours and less likely to have a driver’s license or other forms of ID.
“Georgia, perhaps more than any other state, has benefited financially from the success of the civil rights movement,” said President Ben Jealous of People For the American Way.
“And so Governor Kemp should not find it surprising that if he wants to throw his state back into Jim Crow, that the big business and that businesses will withdraw from their involvement in his state,” Jealous said.
Watch the video above to find out how these voting laws caused a corporate setback.