How Georgia's Controversial Voting Laws Sparked Major Corporate Backlash
April 16, 2021
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as posted by the channelRepublican state legislators across the country began to formulate new voting laws in response to the tumultuous 2020 presidential election in State Houses across the country. In Georgia, the voting law known as SB 202 has become mired in controversy, as opponents of the law claim it will further voter suppression, and supporters of the new law argue that it will bring back confidence in elections.
A rash of new voting legislation has caused an uproar among progressive activists, pushing some big businesses to take a political stance. Some corporations and executives have voiced opposition to the new bills, notably in Georgia.
Amazon, General Motors, and others released a joint statement in opposition to voting restrictions. Earlier in the month, Major League Baseball reportedly moved the All-Star game out of Georgia in protest of the new bill, and the CEO of Delta Airlines stated the voting law was 'unacceptable'.
"Well, the corporations obviously have no idea what they're talking about because many of their objections, it's pretty clear they haven't actually read the bill," said Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
"They don't seem to understand that, that its requirements, the requirements of Georgia law are really not that much different from numerous other states across the country. In fact, in some aspects, their law is less strict than places like New York and New Jersey."
The new law in Georgia will mandate voter ID for absentee voting, limit the use of drop boxes, and restrict giving out food and water to voters waiting in line near polls. Proponents think these measures will increase security and faith in elections.
Opponents of these bills say they're targeting low-income voters who have less flexibility to vote during work hours and also are 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 Ben Jealous, President, People For the American Way.
"And so Governor Kemp should not find it surprising that if he wishes to hurl his state back into Jim Crow, that big business and that corporations would withdraw from their involvement in his state."
Watch the video above to find out how these voting laws caused a corporate backlash.
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How Georgia's Controversial Voting Laws Sparked Major Corporate Backlash
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