Employers of Georgia-based Coca-Cola, Delta and other large corporations have come under intense pressure to block a law that critics say restricts access to the ballot box and targets African-American voters in particular.
The state’s Republican governor announced a speech last Thursday to fight election fraud, by strengthening checks on the identities of voters who vote by mail. It prohibits the long queues for the distribution of water or food on polling days and restricts the number of ballot boxes installed on the street to place ballots.
Many civil rights organizations have called on not only Coca-Cola and Delta, but also Home Depot or insurer Afflock to speak out before accepting the text. But the majority of companies are in the background.
Delta Airlines was cautious on Friday, explaining in a statement that it was in “serious discussions” with Democratic and Republican representatives to improve the text.
It is estimated that many internet users who quickly spread the slogan “Boycott Delta” on Twitter are not good enough.
Coca-Cola faced a similar situation.
Alfredo Rivera, the head of the company for North America, said in a statement on Monday that the company was “disappointed” by the acceptance of the speech, restricting access to the vote to oppose any legislative plan anywhere in the country.
Influential religious leader Reginald Jackson did not stop calling for a protest the next Thursday outside the headquarters of a cold company in Atlanta.
Coca-Cola CEO James Quincy said on Wednesday that the company had “always opposed” the speech, but now did not speak “publicly” of its opposition. Mr. Rather than Rivera, he rated the law “worse” on CNBC.
National struggle
Delta boss Ed Bastian was also very sharp on Wednesday, confirming in a message to employees that the new law was “unacceptable.”
“Once we have time to fully understand what the text means, and after discussions with black community leaders and staff, it becomes clear that the law contains very complex rules for exercising its constitutional right to elect its representatives. For less represented voters, especially black voters,” he wrote.
The New Georgia Project Action Fund, one of the organizations that called on businesses to listen even harder, welcomed the position.
“Despite the delay, Delta’s message finally reflects the truth,” its general manager NS Ufot commented in a message to AFP.
However, the employer regrets not soon realizing the need for consultation with representatives of minorities and invites him to fight against similar laws currently being made in the country, such as Arizona, Texas, Florida and Michigan. Especially.
Many Republicans, led by Donald Trump, who has never openly acknowledged his defeat, see no evidence that the last election was rigged by fraud.
So they have prepared a number of bills that would restrict access to the vote.
But in Georgia in South America, bearing the brunt of the secession, Joe Biden won in November 2020, especially thanks to the mobilization of black voters.
More than 70 leading African-Americans from the business world, led by Ken Frasier, the boss at Merck Labs and Ken Cenault, the former boss of American Express, called on companies to act more strongly against the draft. Laws made anywhere else in the country, The New York Times.
“This time we saw mainly the general news of the companies, we support the right to vote (…), we are now listening to them,” he said on the CNBC channel. Said the senator.
