Stacey Abrams: Don't boycott corporations over voting rights yet. First press them to speak up.
Stacey Abrams: Don't boycott corporations over voting rights yet. First press them to speak up.
Leaving us behind with boycotts won’t save us. I ask you to bring your business to Georgia and, if you’re already here, stay and fight. Stay and vote.
Stacey Abrams, Opinion contributor, USA Toda
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/03/31/voter-suppression-will-corporations-redeem-themselves-column/4820354001/
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First, publicly acknowledge the truth of what’s happening. Georgia corporations should leave behind tepid statements of self-congratulations for turning horrific intent into terrible reality. Yes, we stopped complete annihilation of long-protected rights. But the damage done by SB 202 and its companions in other states will hurt thousands upon thousands of voters. For corporations doing business in the other 42 states considering voter suppression legislation, speak out now when it might actually stop the bills from becoming law.
Second, corporations eager to prove their good faith can do so by putting their resources to good use. Rather than financing state legislators pushing these anti-democratic bills, refuse to fund their efforts. Instead, use those earmarked campaign dollars to support projects that help the poor, the elderly, students and the isolated get the identification they need to cast their ballots in 2022. In Georgia, for example, an estimated at least 200,000 Georgians do not have the required restrictive photo ID. The so-called “free” ID offered in Georgia and other states is not free when the hours to access it are limited, transportation is difficult and the documents necessary are hard to locate, too expensive or unavailable.
Third, companies must stand up for voters by endorsing the federal voting rights standards included in the For the People Act (H.R. 1 and S. 1) and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (H.R. 4). The For the People Act would ensure that Americans’ access to democracy does not depend on the state in which they live. As proposed, automatic voter registration, in-person early voting and no-excuse absentee voting would be guaranteed for voters regardless of geography. The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore enforcement of the historic Voting Rights Act, blocking state laws that would disenfranchise voters of color in the future.
In speeches I give to young activists and seasoned advocates, I urge them to speak up, show up and stand up. We can expect no less from the economic pillars of our communities. So I ask like-minded Americans to hold corporations to their professed values — by measuring their actions and demanding they stand with us.
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