Why didn't Kentucky corporations sign the voting rights letter?
If you’ve been following the news, you know that voting rights are a big topic right now. Republicans across the country are passing voter/voting suppression laws, with the Georgia “we don’t like losing so you can’t vote” bill leading the way.
In response, a number of Black corporate CEOs and leaders called on other CEOs and corporations to step up and take a stand by condemning the Georgia law and its siblings. This led to numerous companies, including Coca-Cola and Delta, to issue statement sharply critical of the bill, and saying they stood with expanding voting rights, not limiting them.
Then, on Wednesday, hundreds of companies and individuals paid for and placed a two-page ad in the New York Times and the Washington Post. At the top is a bold headline “WE STAND FOR DEMOCRACY.” Underneath that heading is the following:
A beautifully American ideal, but a reality denied to many for much of this nation’s history.
As Americans, we know that in our democracy we should not expect to agree on everything.
However, regardless of our political affiliations, we believe the very foundation of our electoral process rests upon the ability of each of us to cast our ballots for the candidates of our choice.
For American democracy to work for any of us, we must ensure the right to vote for all of us.
We all should feel a responsibility to defend the right to vote and to oppose any discriminatory legislation or measures that restrict or prevent any eligible voter from having an equal and fair opportunity to cast a ballot.
Voting is the lifeblood of our democracy and we call upon all Americans to join us in taking a nonpartisan stand for this most basic and fundamental right of all Americans.
There follows a list of hundreds of signatories, both companies such as Amazon, Starbucks, and Wells Fargo, and individuals including Warren Buffet, Paula Abdul, the president of Johns Hopkins University, and the commissioner of the NBA.
Read more: https://forwardky.com/why-didnt-kentucky-corporations-sign-the-voting-rights-letter/