In the memo, Mr Bastian said that it was only after the law was passed that he really understood the extent to which it would impose restrictions on black voters.
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April 2, 2021, 3:58 p.m. ET
“Now that we have time to fully understand everything in the bill, as well as discussions with executives and employees in the black community, it is evident that the bill contains provisions that will allow many under-represented voters, especially black voters, to make it harder to move their constitutional right to choose their representatives, ”he said. “That’s wrong.”
Mr Bastian went further and said that the new law was based on false deceptions.
“The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: There was widespread electoral fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections,” he said. “That is simply not true. Unfortunately, this excuse is used in states across the country trying to pass similar laws to restrict voting rights. “
Several other companies also addressed the issue on Wednesday.
Larry Fink, the executive director of BlackRock, made a statement on LinkedIn saying the company was concerned about the wave of new restrictive voting laws. “BlackRock is concerned about efforts that could restrict anyone’s access to ballot papers,” said Fink. “Voting should be easy and accessible for ALL eligible voters.”
Mark Mason, Citi’s chief financial officer, called Georgia law discriminatory in a post on LinkedIn.
“I am appalled by the recent voter suppression laws passed in the state of Georgia,” said the black Mason. “I see it as a shame that our country’s efforts to prevent black Americans from fully engaging in our constitutional suffrage continue to this day.”
Chuck Robbins, the executive director of Cisco and who grew up in Georgia, said on Twitter that “voting is a fundamental right in our democracy” and that “governments should work to make voting easier, not harder.”
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