Hundreds Of CEOs Sign Statement Against “Discriminatory” Voting Practices

Leaders of some of the biggest corporations in America are getting both praise and blowback today after signing on to a statement that says, “It should be clear that there is overwhelming support in corporate America for the principle of voting rights.” 

The New York Times writes:

Amazon, BlackRock, Google, Warren Buffett and hundreds of other companies and executives signed on to a new statement released on Wednesday opposing “any discriminatory legislation” that would make it harder for people to vote.

It was the biggest show of solidarity so far by the business community as companies around the country try to navigate the partisan uproar over Republican efforts to enact new election rules in almost every state.

The Wall Street Journal points out:

The statement doesn’t directly address specific voting legislation, nor does it call on companies to take business action or halt political donations to lawmakers supporting such bills. “Clearly, we’re not being prescriptive about how people manifest their opposition,” Mr. Chenault said. “Who in their right mind would say that they want legislation that will limit people’s ability to vote?”

Judd Legum, writer of the newsletter Popular Information, says this doesn’t go far enough:

Legum writes, “Actions are more powerful than words. And these companies aren’t taking any action whatsoever.” 

The Washington Post adds:

The statement was also notable for the names that were missing, including Delta Air Lines and Coca-Cola — two companies that earlier this month were among the first to oppose new voting rules in their home state of Georgia.

Both companies had come out after the Georgia bill was signed to say they opposed it. CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin says that JP Morgan and Nike also didn’t take part. He breaks down why some may not have signed on above.