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A group of black business executives is calling on U.S. business leaders to take strong positions against efforts to restrict access to the vote, following a new law in Georgia that critics say will hurt disproportionately to voters of color.
Two of the organizers – Merck CEO Ken Frazier and Ken Chenault, former CEO of American Express – appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Wednesday, describing the effort as a moral obligation in the face of long-standing injustices facing people. black voters.
“Businesses have to stand up. There is no middle ground,” said Chenault, who was an early black executive at a Fortune 500 company. “This is for everyone. Americans to have the right to vote, but we must recognize the particular story of the denial of the right to vote for black Americans, and we will not remain silent, ”he added.
Georgia’s Republican lawmakers backed recent state legislation, and Democrats opposed it. Former President Donald Trump, who lost to Biden, and other Republicans falsely claimed that the Georgia election last year was full of electoral fraud. President Joe Biden in November became the first Democrat to win Georgia since 1992, and two Democrats – the senses. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff – also beat their GOP opponents in the second round of the elections.
Civil rights groups in Georgia have criticized some of the state’s largest corporations for failing to oppose the legislation more directly and directly before it was enacted last week by the GOP governor, Brian Kemp, who was not immediately available to respond to CNBC. request for comments on Frazier and Chenault’s comments and their voting rights letter.
Frazier strongly rebuffed the suggestion that by specifically condemning the changes in Georgia and similar efforts in other states, companies would be wrongly stepping into the tangles of partisan politics.
“If we allow a party to adopt as one of its fundamental voter suppression strategies, then I don’t think the answer should be, ‘Well, we can’t comment on voter suppression, otherwise we are supporters, ”Frazier said. , who is expected to retire as CEO of Merck later this year after a decade at the helm. “Free and fair access to the ballot has never been a partisan issue. It is a fundamental constitutional right.”
For Georgian law, in particular, Frazier stressed that he was not claiming that every provision was restrictive and hurt black voters. For example, supporters of the bill note that it imposes two early voting Saturdays leading to general elections, whereas previously only one was required.
Many other aspects are problematic, Frazier argued, such as limits on the locations and accessibility of ballot boxes, as well as restrictions on the distribution of food and water to voters while they are in line. “Overall, these changes will make voting much more difficult for some voters,” he said.
“There is already no equal access,” Frazier added, referring to data that shows longer wait times for black voters in Georgia than for their white counterparts. “What we are saying is that state by state, in the absence of corroborated and convincing evidence of electoral fraud, any action taken to restrict the ability of eligible voters to vote must be opposed,” he said. declared.
Among the dozens of business leaders supporting Frazier and Chenault’s efforts is Mellody Hobson, co-CEO and president of Ariel Investments. Hobson became chairman of the board of Starbucks earlier this month. She is the only black president of an S&P 500 company. Tony West, general counsel for Uber, and founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, Robert Smith, also signed the letter organized by Frazier and Chenault, which was published as an ad in Wednesday’s edition of the New York Times.
As Georgian law is under legal challenge, Frazier said he was particularly concerned about restrictive voting proposals introduced in other states.
“Georgia is at the forefront of a nationwide movement to restrict access to the vote,” Frazier said. He added: “These kinds of bills need to be stopped in their tracks because you have to spend time reading this bill to understand what it does, and I think companies should take a very strong position. closes in Georgia and everywhere else. “
Businesses must recognize their power to create change on critical aspects of democracy, Chenault said. “If they cannot speak on this issue, what can they speak on?” he asked, rhetorically. “People shouldn’t be focusing on, ‘Will it hurt me if I take a stand?’ he added.
“With all due respect, a lot of people have died for the right to vote, and this one where we ask companies to take a moral stand. If companies had done this throughout our history, we would be much more advanced in race relations in this area, ”concluded Chenault.
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