Five Georgia Companies Hesitant To Defend Voting Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite pressure from voting rights activists, five Georgia-based corporations are refusing to stand against Republican voter suppression efforts in the Peach State. Republican lawmakers have proposed a slate of bills — House Bill 531 and Senate Bill 241 — that would severely impede access to the ballot box in the “most sweeping contraction of ballot access in the United States since the end of Reconstruction,” according to the Washington Post. Efforts to oppose the bills have been steadfast in Georgia, with activists organizing and protesting to stop their passage.
The state is a business hub for many major corporations, including Coca-Cola, Aflac, Delta Air Lines, Home Depot and UPS. On Friday, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce released a supportive but vague statement affirming its commitment to voting rights, but falling short of specifically opposing either pending bill. Coca-Cola and Home Depot have stated they are “aligned” with the Chamber’s statement, but made no further comment of their own.
The New Georgia Project is one of many activist groups launching campaigns to call out and put public pressure on large Georgia-based corporations to stand up against these bills. Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project, said the group is asking these companies to cease donations to lawmakers who support the bills. “We are tired of playing these games,” Ufot said, “so the campaign will go on as long as it needs to until there is clarity on where people stand on these issues.”