More Than 100 Large Corporations Discuss Withholding Donations And Investments Due To Election Restriction Bills

More than 100 chief executives and corporate leaders held a Zoom conference Saturday to discuss actions to combat the growing slate of voting restriction bills.

Executives representing major airlines, retailers, manufacturers, and at least one NFL owner discussed actions to show they oppose the bills. The ideas discussed included pulling political donations and delaying investments in states that passed restrictive voting bills according to the Washington Post.

More than 100 bills in 48 states restricting voting have been introduced this year.

Earlier this month, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed what many have called the most restrictive voting bill since the Jim Crow movement. Many of these bills are being introduced in the aftermath of former President Donald Trump’s election loss.

The group has not settled on any action, but the meeting itself represents an aggressive move by corporate America to stand against controversial voting measures being discussed nationwide.

The meeting also comes on the heels of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) telling corporate CEOs to ‘stay out of politics‘ but added that he was not talking about their political contributions. That likely angered corporate executives, who then organized the meeting.

Trump expressed a similar belief when he called for a boycott of Coca-Cola, Major League Baseball. and Delta Air Lines.

Jeffery Sonnenfeld, a Yale management professor, told the Post the group is undeterred and “shows they are not intimidated by the flak. They are not going to be cowed,” Sonnenfeld said. “They felt very strongly that these voting restrictions are based on a flawed premise and are dangerous.”

James Carville, a White former political strategist, said on MSNBC last month this will not be taken lightly, especially by Black Americans, who have fought for decades for their right to vote.

“To Black people, voting is something sacred, something inherent, we take it for granted, we’ve never worried about voting rights in our lives,” Carville said. “With what they have done, they will set off an explosion. I don’t think we’re through with this and I’m looking for corporations to scream about the injustices that are contained in this legislation. There’s a long way to go here. I don’t think this is done at all.”