More than a hundred top executives and corporate leaders gathered online this weekend to discuss their response to the restrictive voting laws under consideration in several states already adopted in Georgia, according to a statement from the meeting’s organizers.
The statement did not identify participants, but The Washington Post reported that the meeting included executives from major airlines, retailers and manufacturers, and at least one NFL owner.
Without giving details, the statement – issued by the Yale School of Management and two other civic groups – noted that “executives indicated their willingness to act individually and collectively to support American democracy and ensure that Americans have access to world-class voting system ”.
Such actions could include stopping donations to politicians who support the bills and even delaying investment in states that take restrictive measures, according to Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale professor of management and one of the organizers.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources who attended, reported that Kenneth Chenault, the former executive director of American Express Co. and Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck & Co., urged dozens of leaders to collectively demand greater access to the vote. Chenault and Frazier warned companies against giving up the issue and called on executives to sign a statement opposing what they see as discriminatory voting legislation.
The new statement could appear earlier this week and would be based on one that 72 black directors signed last month as a result of changes to Georgia’s voting laws, according to the newspaper’s report.
A number of companies and their leaders have spoken out on the issue in recent weeks. While Republican lawmakers, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Have ridiculed such an action, many activists and others say big business has not gone far enough.
More than 350 different voting projects are being considered in dozens of states, according to a report by the Brennan Center for Justice, a public policy think tank.
The newspaper reported that some appeal directors described some bills as either racist or restrictive, and several participants described their efforts as critical of democracy, rather than partisan.
While many companies have voiced support for a statement or follow-up, some remain reluctant to talk about a politically charged issue.