(Adds statements from Facebook, Porsche North America)
April 1 (Reuters) - Facing criticism for staying largely quiet or being vague
about a new controversial voting law in Georgia, some major U.S. companies came out
with strong statements against the restrictions, which civil rights groups say
unfairly target Black and other racial minority voters.
Companies including Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines were facing
boycott calls, while a campaign from dozens of leading Black executives pushing for
corporations to take a stand added to the growing critical chorus.
Below are statements from various companies and their executives on the Georgia
voting law:
Company Statement
Coca-Cola Co : CEO James Quincey called the law "unacceptable" and
"a step backwards." He told CNBC the law is "wrong
and it needs to be remedied." (bit.ly/31AmxK7)
Delta Air Lines Inc : CEO Ed Bastian blasted the law: "The entire rationale
for this bill was based on a lie: that there was
widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020
elections." He said the law was "unacceptable", and
did not match Delta's values. (bit.ly/2PsD3cD)
It was a course reversal for Delta, which had earlier
praised the law even as it acknowledged having
concerns. (bit.ly/3sHTyQt)
Citigroup Inc "As an American, I am appalled by the recent voter
suppression laws passed in the state of Georgia,"
Chief Financial Officer Mark Mason said. "I see it as
a disgrace that our country's efforts to keep Black
Americans from engaging fully in our Constitutional
right to vote continue to this day." (bit.ly/3rBWT2d)
Apple Inc "Apple believes that, thanks in part to the power of
technology, it ought to be easier than ever for every
eligible citizen to exercise their right to vote. We
support efforts to ensure that our democracy’s future
is more hopeful and inclusive than its past," CEO Tim
Cook said in a statement.
Facebook Inc "We support making voting as accessible and
broad-based as possible and oppose efforts to make it
harder for people to vote," Roy Austin, Facebook's
deputy general counsel for civil rights said.
Microsoft Corp Company President Brad Smith said provisions of the
law signed last week "unfairly restrict the rights of
people to vote legally, securely, and safely." (bit.ly/2PLJlUB)
Alphabet Inc "We're concerned about efforts to restrict voting at
a local level and we strongly support the John Lewis
Voting Rights Advancement Act," Google's senior
vice-president of global affairs Kent Walker said. (bit.ly/3whFU8S)
ViacomCBS Inc "We unequivocally in the importance of all Americans
having an equal right to vote and oppose the recent
Georgia voting rights law or any effort that impedes
the ability to exercise this vital constitutional
right," the company said. (bit.ly/3sKdgLd)
Merck & Co Inc The drugmaker tweeted a statement from CEO Kenneth
Frazier taking a stand on the Georgia law, saying
"Democracy rests on ensuring that every eligible
voter has an equal and fair opportunity to cast a
ballot, free from restrictions that have a
discriminatory impact." (bit.ly/2QY3jfm)
American Express Co CEO Steve Squeri said the company stands "against any
efforts to suppress voting which is a fundamental
right that belongs to all Americans," and was in
support of former CEO's Kenneth Chenault's call for
corporations to take a harder stance against voting
restrictions. (bit.ly/2PLfewz)
Bank of America Corp "Our company's recent, increased commitment to
advance racial equality and economic opportunity is
informed by our belief that we must seek every avenue
to overcome the systemic obstacles to our democratic
principles that have developed over many years. This
includes obstacles to the right to vote," CEO Brian
Moynihan said. (bit.ly/2QPKnze)
Wells Fargo & Co "Wells Fargo supports the right of every American to
exercise their voice by voting... we oppose
legislation that attempts to limit this right or is
discriminatory in nature," the bank said, adding that
it supports making Federal Election Day a national
holiday. (bit.ly/2PItN3P)
Cisco Systems Inc CEO Chuck Robbins tweeted "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." (bit.ly/3ugvbth)
BlackRock Inc CEO Larry Fink said "BlackRock is concerned about
efforts that could limit access to the ballot for
anyone. Voting should be easy and accessible for ALL
eligible voters. (bit.ly/2Oi2Fsc)
Hubspot Inc "The Georgia legislation undermining voters' rights
is in stark contrast to the democracy our country is
built on. And it’s unacceptable," said Dharmesh Shah,
Hubspot co-founder and chief technology officer. (bit.ly/3cGqIKE)
PricewaterhouseCoopers U.S. "We oppose any changes in election laws that result
arm in suppressing lawful votes, especially given their
historical use to suppress votes of people of color,"
PwC US Senior Partner Tim Ryan said. (bit.ly/2QNtWDx)
Accenture Accenture is backing the 72 Black executives who have
called for companies to take a stronger stance, CEO
Julie Sweet said. "The Fierce Urgency Is Now in
taking a nonpartisan stand for equality and
democracy." (bit.ly/31AM45M)
Home Depot Inc "We believe that all elections should be accessible,
fair and secure and support broad voter
participation. We'll continue to work to ensure our
associates, both in Georgia and across the country,
have the information and resources to vote," the
company said in a statement.
JPMorgan Chase & Co "We regularly encourage our employees to exercise
their fundamental right to vote, and we stand against
efforts that may prevent them from being able to do
so," CEO Jamie Dimon said in a statement.
United Parcel Service "UPS believes that voting laws and legislation should
make it easier, not harder, for Americans to exercise
their right to vote," the company said. (bit.ly/3ugygtI)
Porsche Cars North America "Equal access to the polls for every voter is core to
a democracy. (We) hope a resolution can be found
between all sides that encourages and enables every
eligible vote," the Georgia-based business said.
(Reporting by Uday Sampath and Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb
Chakrabarty, Bernard Orr and Arun Koyyur)
Read More
Print/Download
