From Amazon to Warren Buffet, American companies and CEOs have signed a letter opposing Republican efforts to pass new election laws.
Hundreds of US companies and CEOs added their signatures to a letter released Wednesday opposing “any discriminatory legislation or measure that restricts or prevents any eligible voter” from voting.
The statement, published in a two-page ad in The New York Times and Washington Post, represents the largest coalition of business leaders and luminaries to voice opposition to restrictive election laws and Republican efforts to push them through. across the United States.
The statement was curated by Kenneth Chenault, former CEO of American Express, and Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck, and includes notable signatories such as General Motors, Netflix, Starbucks, Amazon, Google and Warren Buffet.
In recent weeks, businesses have started to oppose a new voting law in Georgia. Since then, many others have spoken out against him and similar efforts.
Many Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, pushed back, calling on companies and their leaders to stay out of politics and accusing companies of siding with the Democratic Party.
The statement does not address specific election legislation in states, including Texas, Arizona, and Michigan.
And not all companies felt inclined to get on board. According to the New York Times, JPMorgan Chase refused to sign the statement despite a personal request from senior black business executives to the bank’s chief executive, Jamie Dimon.
Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, which voiced opposition to Georgian law, did not sign Wednesday’s statement. Walmart, which previously said that “broad participation and confidence in the electoral process is vital to its integrity,” also refrained from adding its name.
Chenault and Frazier spoke on a Zoom call on Saturday with more than 100 business leaders, where they read the statement and urged executives to add their names, The New York Times reported.
A few titans in the business world, including Buffett, the managing director of Berkshire Hathaway, have said they will sign in their personal capacity while leaving their company off the list, The New York Times reported.
On Tuesday, the CEOs of 30 Michigan companies, including Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Quicken Loans, released a statement expressing their opposition to changes to state election laws that could be viewed as restrictive and unfair.
Similar voting restriction bills are under consideration in Texas and Arizona.
Houston-based Hewlett Packard Enterprise said in a statement it “categorically” opposes legislation that unfairly seeks to restrict the right to vote of any American.
The backlash against Georgia, which was the first state to pass a new restrictive voting law, continues. On Monday, a film starring actor Will Smith and funded by Apple pulled production out of the state. Major League Baseball also recently announced that it will be moving its All-Star Game from Atlanta, Georgia to Denver, Colorado.