More GOP-led states risk corporate backlash like Georgia's

Source: The Hill | April 3, 2021 | Alex Gangitano

The corporate backlash against Georgia’s new voting law is putting other states on alert.

Texas, Florida and Arizona are among the Republican-led states considering similar legislation, setting the stage for potential clashes with companies headquartered there.

Industry experts are closely watching how things unfold in Georgia to see whether there is a boycott and loss of business similar to what North Carolina experienced with regard to its “bathroom bill” from 2016. That picture became clearer on Friday when Major League Baseball announced it won’t hold this year’s All-Star Game in Georgia as initially planned.

Companies in Texas are already weighing in on a bill making its way through the state legislature that would limit early voting hours and broaden the authority of partisan poll watchers.

American Airlines came out against the legislation, passed by the state Senate on Thursday, while Dallas-based Southwest Airlines said in a statement that “the right to vote is foundational to our democracy” but did not oppose the measure outright.

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That kind of public criticism is putting more pressure on consumer-facing businesses to pick a side, experts say.

“Whether they want to or not, I think [companies are] going to increasingly get pulled into policy issues, and sometimes policy issues that are very political. In the old days, maybe it was a little easier to say, ‘We don’t comment on it. We don’t talk about it.’ I think increasingly that’s just not really realistic,” said John Forrer, director of the Institute for Corporate Responsibility at George Washington University.

Voting rights advocates are focusing their attention on Arizona and Florida as well.

In Arizona, a bill that would impose restrictions on early and mail-in voting is likely to land on Gov. Doug Ducey’s (R) desk. The state legislature in Florida, where potential 2024 GOP presidential contender Ron DeSantis is governor, is considering a similar bill targeting absentee ballots.

Both states have major sporting events on the horizon, just like Georgia did. The Super Bowl is slated for Glendale, Ariz., in 2023, and Miami is in the running to host part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The intensifying debate isn’t just ensnaring companies with headquarters in states considering new voting laws.

Brad Smith, president of Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft, said his company is concerned about Georgia’s election law after deciding “to invest substantially in Atlanta” by purchasing land for new office space.

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