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Why Hollywood it is staying quiet about Georgia’s new voting regulation

Why Hollywood it's staying quiet about Georgia's new voting law

Tyler Perry accepts the People’s Champion Award on stage for the 2020 E! The People’s Choice Awards will be presented at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California and will air on Sunday, November 15, 2020.

Christopher Polk | E! Entertainment | NBCUniversal | Getty Images

While other corporate giants like Coca-Cola and Delta were quick to speak out against Georgia’s new electoral law, the state’s film studios were less vocal.

In the past, Hollywood has used the threat of production boycotts in the state to voice its opinion on Georgian politics. This time around, however, the studios were mostly mother of the matter, which led many to wonder why.

Some speculate that the industry is hoping the federal government will step in while executives voice their concerns behind the scenes or pull other levers like the use of political donations. Another factor could be timing: after the coronavirus pandemic, studios simply can no longer trigger threats that could disrupt production.

“As a Georgia resident and business owner, I have been here a few times with the Abortion Act and the LGBTQ Discrimination Act,” Tyler Perry, who owns Tyler Perry Studios, Georgia, said in a statement Tuesday. “They all sent a shock wave through Georgia and the nation, but none of them managed to succeed. I rest my hopes on that [Department of Justice] take a close look at this unconstitutional electoral suppression law reminiscent of the Jim Crow era. “

The new law, signed by Governor Brian Kemp on March 26th, includes a restriction on dropboxing, making it a crime to provide food or water to voters who line up outside of polling stations and require mandatory proof of identity for voters the postal vote and creates stronger legislative control over how elections are conducted. Opponents say that these provisions disproportionately disenfranchise people with color.

On Wednesday, ViacomCBS became the first major entertainment company to publicly condemn the law.

“We unequivocally believe in the importance of all Americans having the same right to vote and we oppose the recent Georgian suffrage law or any effort that hinders the exercise of this vital constitutional right,” the company wrote on Twitter.

AT&T, which owns Warner Media, also issued a statement on the law.

“AT&T believes that our voting rights are among the most sacrosanct we enjoy and that free enterprise and businesses like ours thrive where elections are open and safe,” the company said in a statement. “Consistent with this belief, we partner with other companies that are members of the Georgia Chamber and the Metro-Atlanta Chamber of Commerce as these organizations support policies that promote accessible and secure voting while ensuring the integrity and transparency of elections . “

None of the companies threatened to boycott the state.

The Hollywood effect

Some have speculated that Hollywood’s silence reflected the challenges facing the industry. It can’t afford to boycott the state’s filming locations after months of production been lost to the coronavirus pandemic. Others believe Hollywood executives may just be waiting for more information before making any statements.

After all, it took a few weeks for the 2019 Anti-Abortion Act, known as the Heartbeat Law, to be signed before most actors, producers and directors began threatening boycotts in the state. A federal judge struck down the law last year.

“I think the entertainment industry is putting this on hold until the federal government brings in the vote [law] to the ground, “said Tom Nunan, a lecturer at UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and founder of Bull’s Eye Entertainment.

“It’s a bleak mess, and I suspect executives, especially Disney, who has the largest footprint in Georgia because of the Marvel franchise of movies and series, are waiting for the federal response,” he said.

Disney did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment. Sony officials were also not immediately available.

Hollywood has a lot of weight to throw at. The state will receive nearly $ 3 billion in direct spending on film and television production and another $ 6.5 billion in additional economic impact. This money goes to hotels, restaurants, gas stations, rental cars and wood purchases, everything companies need to realize and produce their projects.

Since 2008, enticing tax incentives have turned the state into Y’allywood, a film and television production center. Georgia has developed an infrastructure for big budget productions and is home to a hugely skilled workforce of crew members, artisans, and technicians.

Ryan Millsap, CEO of Blackhall Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, told CNBC that production in the state is “booming” even with the addition of Covid protocols. He said there is more productions in Georgia than ever before and that studios must actually turn down companies looking for studio space.

Alternatives to boycotts

While the threat of boycotts can be an effective bargaining chip, ceasing production would also hurt the local crews and other businesses that rely on that income.

“The boycott threat was pretty minor at the time,” said Molly Coffee, creative director of Film Impact Georgia and a veteran of the state’s film industry. “James Mangold made a statement on Twitter that he would not film in Georgia, and that was repeated by the likes of Mark Hamill and Debra Messing. The fear is always that others will follow suit.”

Mark Hamill, left, and James Mangold

Michael Tullberg | Getty Images; Kevin Winter | Getty Images

Russell Williams, a professor of film and media arts at American University, suggested that there are other ways Hollywood could be heard.

“Hollywood is bearing the extra cost of protecting its workforce and customers (if applicable) with fewer opportunities to recoup that investment due to the pandemic. So maybe there are more targeted ways to get lawmakers’ attention,” he said. “No donation, anyone?”

Hollywood’s elite opened their wallets to fund the Georgia Senate runoff earlier this year. Federal Election Commission records showed that celebrities like Mark Ruffalo, Jack Black, Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon, Tracee Ellis Ross, and others were spending money ahead of the January election.

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Black Executives Name on Companies to Combat Restrictive Voting Legal guidelines

Black Executives Call on Corporations to Fight Restrictive Voting Laws

Dozens of the best-known black business leaders in America are banding together to call on corporations to fight a wave of voting laws put forward by Republicans in at least 43 states. The campaign appears to be the first time that so many powerful black leaders have organized themselves to directly alert their colleagues that they are not advocating for racial justice.

The effort, led by Kenneth Chenault, a former executive director of American Express, and Kenneth Frazier, executive director of Merck, are in response to the swift passage of a Georgian law that they claim will make it harder for blacks to vote. With the debate over the law raging for the past few weeks, most large corporations – including those headquartered in Atlanta – have not commented on the legislation.

“There is no middle ground here,” said Chenault. “You are either in favor of getting more people to vote or you want to suppress the vote.”

The executives did not criticize specific companies but called on all American companies to stand up publicly and directly against new laws that would restrict the rights of black voters and use their clout, money and lobbyists to open the debate with the To influence legislators.

“This affects all Americans, but we also need to recognize the history of voting rights for African Americans,” said Chenault. “And as African American executives in Corporate America, we wanted Corporate America to understand this and to work with us.”

The letter was signed by 72 black executives. These included Roger Ferguson Jr., the executive director of TIAA; Mellody Hobson and John Rogers Jr., the co-directors of Ariel Investments; Robert F. Smith, managing director of Vista Equity Partners; and Raymond McGuire, a former Citigroup executive who is running for Mayor of New York.

In the days leading up to the passing of the Georgian law, almost no large corporations spoke out against the legislation, which introduced stricter requirements for identifying voters for postal voting, limited drop boxes and an extension of the legislature’s power to vote.

Large Atlanta-based corporations, including Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola, and Home Depot, made general statements of support for voting rights, but none took any particular stance on the bills. The same was true for most of the executives who signed the new letter, including Mr. Frazier and Mr. Chenault.

Mr Frazier said he only paid marginal attention to the matter before the Georgian law was passed on Thursday. “When the law was passed, I started paying attention,” he said.

When Mr. Frazier realized what was in the new law and that similar bills were being proposed in other states, he and Mr. Chenault decided to take action. On Sunday, they began emailing and texting a group of black executives to discuss what other companies could do.

“Nobody seems to be talking,” said Mr Frazier. “We thought if we spoke up it could lead to a situation where others felt a responsibility to speak up.”

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Updated

March 30, 2021, 6:28 p.m. ET

Among the other executives who signed the letter were Ursula Burns, a former executive director of Xerox; Richard Parsons, former Citigroup Chairman and Managing Director of Time Warner; and Tony West, the chief legal officer at Uber. The leadership group, with support from the Black Economic Alliance, bought a full-page ad in Wednesday’s New York Times.

Executives hope that big companies will help keep dozens of similar bills from becoming law in other states.

“The Georgian legislature was the first,” said Frazier. “If the American company doesn’t get up, we’ll pass these laws in many places in this country.”

In 2017, Mr. Frazier became the first executive to publicly step down from President Donald J. Trump’s corporate advisory council after the president responded unequivocally to violence by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia. His resignation caused other executives to distance themselves from Mr. Trump and the advisory groups disbanded.

“As African American business people, we don’t have the luxury of being spectators of injustice,” said Frazier. “We don’t have the luxury of being on the sidelines when injustices like this occur all around us.”

In recent years, companies have taken a stance on government legislation, often with great effect. In 2016 and 2017, when conservatives in states like Indiana, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas rolled out so-called bathroom bills, large corporations threatened to relocate their business if the laws were passed. These invoices were never legally signed.

Last year, the human rights campaign began to convince companies to join a pledge in which they expressed their “clear opposition to harmful laws restricting LGBTQ people’s access to society”. Dozens of large companies, including AT&T, Facebook, Nike, and Pfizer, have signed up.

For Mr. Chenault, the contrast between the response of the business community to this problem and the electoral restrictions that disproportionately harm black voters was significant.

“They had 60 big companies – Amazon, Google, American Airlines – that joined the statement in which they clearly opposed harmful laws restricting LGBTQ people’s access to society,” he said. “So, you know, it’s bizarre that we don’t have companies that can stand up to this.”

“This is not new,” added Mr. Chenault. “When it comes to racing, there is a different treatment. That’s the reality. “

Activists are now calling for boycotts against Delta and Coca-Cola over their lukewarm engagement before Georgia passed the law. And there are signs that other companies and sports leagues are getting more into the issue.

The head of the Major League Baseball Players Association said he “looks forward to” a discussion of the All-Star Game’s move from Atlanta, where it is scheduled for July. And JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon released a statement Tuesday reiterating his company’s commitment to voting.

“Votes are fundamental to the health and future of our democracy,” he said. “We regularly encourage our employees to exercise their basic right to vote, and we oppose efforts that may prevent them from doing so.”

This language echoed the statements made by many large companies before the Georgian law was passed. The executives who signed the letter will likely seek more.

“People ask,” What can I do? “Said Mr. Chenault.” I’ll tell you what you can do. You can speak out publicly against discriminatory laws and any measures that restrict Americans’ eligibility. “

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Democrats Splinter Over Technique for Pushing By way of Voting Rights Invoice

Democrats Splinter Over Strategy for Pushing Through Voting Rights Bill

Black House members, for example, are deeply concerned about the move of the law to independent redistribution commissions, which they fear could cost seats if majority and minority districts are dissolved, especially in the south. Before the bill was passed, the authors spent considerable time reassuring members of the Congressional Black Caucus that adequate safeguards were in place to sustain their districts. However, a prominent committee chairman, Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, remained so concerned that he voted against the bill despite sponsoring it.

Some of the Party’s institutions believe that the Small Dollar Public Funding Plan, which includes a six-to-one matching program for donations under $ 200, could stimulate and fuel the primary challenges, especially those from the far left, by allowing them to get on board with established businesses’ usual fundraising faster.

Then there is a more annoying political concern, most clearly voiced by Mr Manchin but shared by others, that Mr Trump falsely claimed for months that Democrats were scammers trying to rig the 2020 elections against him, some independent voters – fair or not – will see the legislation as an attempt to do just that and punish the party in the medium term in 2022.

The state election administrators have also made their own complaints, tacitly telling their senators to change the national voting requirements, which they say will be onerous or impossible by 2022. Some have complained that they were simply not consulted on a major federal revision of the system they believe they were effectively overseeing.

“I said no electoral officers were injured in making this law,” quipped Charles Stewart III, a senior electoral expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Holding elections is very detailed and it’s not just about postponing things. They add new functionality and complexity, rather than just shifting complexity from one place to another. “

Many say they support the aims of the proposal, but fear that it goes too far in some places and contradicting lines in others. For example, the law states that properly stamped ballot papers received up to 10 days after an election must be counted as valid. However, it also gives voters up to 10 days to correct errors in ballots sent in, which means that incorrect ballots arriving late can delay the confirmation of an election by up to 20 days. Some administrators believe that a 20-day delay threatens to destroy the timelines for formalizing election results.

Others say the move, which requires all federal elections to start with an identical set of rules, ignores reality in the dozens of thousands of jurisdictions overseeing the vote. A director for democratic state elections said the early electoral mandates in the bill would require a county of 2,000 residents to keep elections open for 15 days, 10 hours a day, even for an off-year Congressional area code that only attracts a handful of voters attracts.

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Business

Firms, Vocal About Racial Justice, Go Quiet on Voting Rights

Corporations, Vocal About Racial Justice, Go Quiet on Voting Rights

This time around, however, the entertainment industry has taken a more cautious approach.

When asked for comment, Disney, Netflix, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures Entertainment and ViacomCBS said either they did not have a public comment or did not respond to inquiries. The Motion Picture Association, Hollywood’s lobby group, declined to comment, as did Amazon Studios, which six months ago released “All In: The Fight For Democracy,” a documentary about the efforts of Ms. Abrams and other activists to break down electoral barriers in Georgia and elsewhere. WarnerMedia, owned by AT&T, said its parent company is working with local chambers of commerce to promote “accessible and secure voting”.

The fight in Georgia is likely a preview of things to come. Legislators in dozens of states have proposed similar electoral laws, and activists plan to put pressure on American businesses as the struggle for the right to vote becomes national.

Meanwhile, companies are trying to maintain a delicate balancing act. Although the Georgian law passed on Thursday was less stringent than originally proposed, it introduced stricter requirements on voter identification for postal voting, limited dropboxing, and expanded legislature’s power over elections.

After it was passed, Delta and Coca-Cola seemed to gain some credit for helping to ease the bill’s restrictions. Delta said it had “been dealing extensively with state-elected officials” over the past few weeks and “the laws signed this week have improved significantly during the legislative process.”

Coca-Cola made a similar statement, stating that it had sought “improvements” to the law and “continued to identify opportunities for engagement and improvements to promote and protect the right to vote in our home state and elsewhere”.

Those words were cold comfort to activists who had worked against efforts to restrict voting rights.

“They made gentle statements instead of getting out,” said Ms. Groh-Wargo of Fair Fight. “It is ridiculous.”

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Biden condemns GOP-backed voting restrictions in Georgia

Biden condemns GOP-backed voting restrictions in Georgia

In this handout, Republican Governor Brian Kemp signs Law SB 202, a restrictive electoral law that activists say aims to reduce the influence of black voters who were instrumental in the state elections that helped Democrats win the White House win and limit control of the U.S. Senate The photo was posted to Kemp’s Twitter feed on March 25, 2021.

Twitter feed from Governor Brian Kemp | Handout via Reuters

President Joe Biden on Friday condemned a comprehensive GOP-backed electoral reform bill that was signed Thursday evening in Georgia, including new identification requirements for absentee ballots, limiting ballot boxes, and banning the supply of food or water to voters in line with provides for these provisions.

“This is Jim Crow in the 21st century,” Biden said in a statement, comparing the legislation to the infamous electoral restrictions that kept people of color from voting in front of the civil rights movement in the south. “It has to end. We have a moral and constitutional obligation to act.”

Biden told reporters on Friday that the White House and the Justice Department are looking at what to do about the law.

Georgia governor Brian Kemp signed the 96-page bill Thursday night, just hours after Republican lawmakers passed the electoral rule revision known as SB 202.

Democratic Rep. Park Cannon was arrested by Georgia state police Thursday after knocking on Kemp’s office door when he signed the SB 202.

The new electoral rules in Georgia come from Senate Democrats aiming to pass a federal election reform law, the For the People Act, amid a wave of Republican electoral restrictions being proposed in state legislatures across the country.

“This bill, like so many others persecuted by Republicans in state houses across the country, is an blatant attack on the Constitution and good conscience,” Biden said. He said the provisions of SB 202 “effectively deny the right to vote for countless voters.”

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said in a statement Friday that SB 202 will expand options because the bill increases the number of early voting days.

The debate over electoral integrity came to a head this year when conspiracy theories of widespread electoral fraud led violent pro-Trump rioters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 to dismiss the results of the 2020 presidential election.

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In his statement, Biden called on Congress to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Stakeholders like the New Georgia Project and the Black Voters Matter Fund have urged Biden to urge Congress to pass the two state voting laws by supporting measures like the elimination of the filibuster in the Senate.

Biden signaled in his first press conference Thursday that he could support the abolition of the Senate filibuster instead of reforming it if his priorities are set in Congress.

“If we have to, if there is total lockdown and chaos as a result of the filibuster, we have to go beyond what I’m talking about,” he told reporters.

Biden has said he supports the return to what is known as a talking filibuster, where lawmakers must keep the Senate active in order to block the legislation. As of now, the Senate will need 60 votes to push a bill – which means Republicans can block the vast majority of bills in a chamber that is 50-50 split by party.

– CNBC’s Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.

Correction: Biden’s first press conference took place on Thursday. In an earlier version of this story, the day was incorrectly stated.

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Georgia G.O.P. Passes Main Legislation to Restrict Voting

Georgia G.O.P. Passes Major Law to Limit Voting

“Where does the need for this bill come from?” said Debbie Buckner, a Democratic representative based near Columbus. “From the former president who wanted the election fixed and thrown out, even when the Georgian leadership told him they couldn’t do it if they wanted to.”

Zulma Lopez, who represents a majority minority district on the outskirts of Atlanta, said the bill would have an overwhelming impact on color voters. In her district, she said, the number of dropboxes would be reduced from 33 to nine. This was partly due to the fact that Democrats were excluded from the discussions.

“Almost 2.5 million Democrats voted in the 2020 general election,” Ms. Lopez said. “Yet the Democrats in this House have been excluded from any significant contribution to the preparation of this bill.”

Democratic state senators raised similar alarms during an afternoon debate.

“It’s like a Christmas tree full of goodies to suppress voters,” said Senator Jen Jordan, a Democrat from near Atlanta. “And let’s be clear, some of the most dangerous regulations have to do with running local elections.”

As a sign of the high tension in Georgia, Mr Kemp’s speech was abruptly interrupted after about 10 minutes. A Democratic State representative, Park Cannon, had attempted to attend the signing and remarks, but the doors to the governor’s office were closed.

After the officers refused to let her in, Ms. Cannon knocked lightly on the door. Two officers immediately arrested her, handcuffed her, and escorted her through the state capitol. Neither Ms. Cannon nor the governor’s office immediately responded to requests for comment.

Alan Powell, a Republican representative from northeast Georgia, defended the state’s bill, saying it would give consistency to an electoral system that was marginalized last year.

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Politics

Georgia Home Passes Sweeping Invoice to Prohibit Voting

Georgia House Passes Sweeping Bill to Restrict Voting

Representative Zulma Lopez, whose district on the outskirts of Atlanta has the majority of color voters, said the bill would have an overwhelming impact on color voters. In her district, she said, the number of dropboxes would be reduced from 33 to nine. This was partly due to the fact that Democrats were excluded from the discussions.

“Almost 2.5 million Democrats voted in the 2020 general election,” Ms. Lopez said. “Yet the Democrats in this House have been excluded from any significant contribution to the preparation of this bill.”

On Thursday, President Biden, along with the Georgia Democrats, condemned Republican efforts to restrict voting, calling Conservative efforts across the country “un-American”.

“I am convinced that we can stop this because it is the most damaging thing,” said Biden at his first official press conference. “It makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle. I mean, that’s gigantic what they’re trying to do. And it can’t be sustained. “

He vowed to “do everything in my power, together with my friends in the House and Senate, to prevent this from becoming law.”

Alan Powell, a Republican representative from northeast Georgia, defended the state’s bill, saying it would give the necessary consistency to an electoral system that was marginalized last year.

“The Georgia electoral system was never designed to handle the volume of votes it handled,” he said. (Several audits have confirmed the results of the elections in Georgia last year and there have been no credible reports of fraud or irregularities affecting the results.) How our electoral system works. “

“Show me the oppression,” said Mr. Powell. “There is no suppression in this bill.”

Thomas Kaplan contributed to the reporting.

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Georgia activists strain large companies to oppose voting restrictions

Georgia activists pressure big corporations to oppose voting restrictions

Bürgerrechts- und Aktivistengruppen erhöhen den Druck auf große georgische Unternehmen wie Coca-Cola und Delta Airlines, sich den vom republikanischen Gesetzgeber vorgeschlagenen umfassenden Abstimmungsbeschränkungen zu widersetzen.

“Wir haben die Macht der organisierten Menschen. Sie haben die Macht des organisierten Geldes. Und zwischen uns und ihnen könnten wir Druck auf diese Gesetzgeber oder im schlimmsten Fall auf den Gouverneur ausüben, diese Rechnungen zu töten”, so Cliff Albright , Mitbegründer von Black Voters Matter, sagte gegenüber CNBC.

Gruppen wie Black Voters Matter, der New Georgia Project Action Fund und die Georgia NAACP haben am Freitag die nächste Phase ihrer Kampagne in der lokalen Presse und in den sozialen Medien gestartet und die Unterstützer gebeten, sich direkt an CEOs, Präsidenten und den Hauptsitz großer Unternehmen mit Sitz in Georgia zu wenden. Sie fordern sie auf, sich öffentlich gegen die vorgeschlagenen Abstimmungsbeschränkungen auszusprechen und keine Geldspenden mehr an die republikanischen Gesetzgeber zu spenden, die die Rechnungen sponsern.

Die Gesetzesvorlagen zur Wahlbeschränkung stammen aus der historischen Wahlbeteiligung der georgischen Wähler – insbesondere der schwarzen und farbigen Wähler – während der Stichwahlen im November und im Januar, bei denen die Republikaner zum ersten Mal seit Jahrzehnten die Rennen des Präsidenten und des US-Senats verloren haben.

“Es ist sehr, sehr enttäuschend, dass der Gesetzgeber nach dem Aufkommen des bürgerschaftlichen Engagements im ganzen Staat versuchen würde, es den georgischen Bürgern zu erschweren, sich an der Wahl ihrer gewählten Beamten zu beteiligen”, sagte Andrea Young, Exekutivdirektorin des georgischen Kapitels der American Civil Liberties Union, sagte in einem Interview.

Der republikanische Gesetzgeber verabschiedete im März ein Gesetz im Senat des Bundesstaates, mit dem die Nicht-Entschuldigungs-Briefwahl beseitigt werden soll, und im Repräsentantenhaus, das die vorzeitige Wahl am Wochenende einschränken, die ID-Anforderungen für die Briefwahl erhöhen und die Wahlurnen einschränken soll: SB 241 und HB 531. Diese Die vorgeschlagenen Beschränkungen würden den schwarzen Wählern überproportional schaden, so eine Analyse des Brennan Center for Justice.

Interessengruppen wenden sich an die mächtige Geschäftswelt Georgiens, weil sie sagen, dass der Versuch, die GOP-Gesetzgeber allein zu beeinflussen, wenig Wirkung hat.

“Diese Unternehmen beschäftigen Hunderttausende von Wählern in Georgia, die direkt von diesen Gesetzen betroffen sein werden”, sagte Nse Ufot, CEO des New Georgia Project, gegenüber CNBC. “Die Unterdrückung von Wählern ist nicht gut fürs Geschäft.”

Die Koalition konzentriert sich auf sechs der größten Unternehmen in Georgien – Aflac, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Home Depot, Southern Company und UPS – mit ganzseitigen Anzeigen, Demonstrationen und Textbanken. Eine Untersuchung von Popular Information vom 3. März ergab, dass die sechs Unternehmen seit 2018 zusammen 190.800 US-Dollar an Co-Sponsoren von HB 531 und SB 241 gespendet haben.

Die Arbeit der Aktivisten scheint einige Ergebnisse zu sehen. Business Booster haben sich gegen bestimmte Bestimmungen in den vorgeschlagenen Wählerbeschränkungen ausgesprochen, seit die Befürworter ihre Druckkampagne gestartet haben.

Die Handelskammer von Georgia hat zuvor die Bedeutung des Stimmrechts bekräftigt, ohne sich gegen eine bestimmte Gesetzgebung auszusprechen. In einer neuen Erklärung gegenüber CNBC erklärte die georgische Kammer, sie habe “ihre Besorgnis und ihren Widerstand gegen Bestimmungen zum Ausdruck gebracht, die sowohl in HB 531 als auch in SB 241 enthalten sind und den Zugang der Wähler einschränken oder verringern” und “weiterhin parteiübergreifend mit den Führern der Generalversammlung zusammenarbeiten auf Rechnungen, die das Stimmrecht in unserem Staat beeinträchtigen würden. “

Dave Williams, SVP für öffentliche Ordnung der Handelskammer von Metro Atlanta, sagte in einer Erklärung am Montag: “Die Aufhebung der nicht entschuldigenden Briefwahl trägt wenig dazu bei, den Prozess sicherer zu machen, und birgt ein großes Risiko für die Teilnahme.”

Die Greater Black Chamber of Commerce in Georgia erklärte gegenüber CNBC in einer Erklärung: “Was HB 531 und SB 241 betrifft, sollten sich die Gesetzgeber nicht auf die ‘Dringlichkeit’ verlassen, um diese Gesetzentwürfe zu unterzeichnen, einen Schritt zurückzutreten, offen für andere Ansichten zu sein und dies zu tun.” Was ist ‘RICHTIG’? Die Black Business und Community Leaders haben zum Ausdruck gebracht, dass sie ‘OPPOSED’ sind. Und GGBCC vertritt sie. “

Die meisten Unternehmen haben sich nicht an der Stimmrechtsdebatte beteiligt, sondern bieten breite Standpunkte zu Abstimmungen und Wahlen. Alle sechs Unternehmen gehören der Handelskammer von Georgia an, und alle außer Aflac gehören der Handelskammer von Metro Atlanta an.

Aflac, Coca-Cola, Delta, Home Depot und UPS bekräftigten ihre Unterstützung für faire und sichere Wahlen und eine gleichberechtigte Beteiligung der Wähler an Erklärungen gegenüber CNBC. Die Southern Company antwortete nicht auf die Bitte von CNBC um einen Kommentar.

Unternehmen in Georgia haben sich in der Vergangenheit stark gegen Gesetze ausgesprochen, wie beispielsweise ein Gesetz zur “Religionsfreiheit” im Jahr 2016, das die Diskriminierung gleichgeschlechtlicher Paare ermöglicht hätte. Sie haben auch in anderen Debatten größtenteils geschwiegen, wie zum Beispiel einem “Herzschlag” -Gesetz gegen Abtreibung im Jahr 2019, das im Jahr 2020 für verfassungswidrig erklärt wurde.

Konservative georgische Gesetzgeber haben in der Vergangenheit georgische Unternehmen für bestimmte politische Schritte bestraft. Republikanische Gesetzgeber töteten eine große Steuervergünstigung für Fluggesellschaften, nachdem Delta Rabatte für Mitglieder der National Rifle Association gewährt hatte.

CNBC hat den Senat von Georgia und die Republikaner des Repräsentantenhauses um einen Kommentar zu den Kampagnen zur Rechenschaftspflicht der Unternehmen gebeten.

Stimmrechtsaktivisten sind nicht beeindruckt von den Aussagen, die Unternehmen bisher zur Stimmrechtsdebatte gemacht haben.

“Wir brauchen eine vollständige Ablehnung dieser Rechnungen”, sagte Ufot vom New Georgia Project. “Was ist Ihre Bestätigung dafür, wie wichtig Demokratie ist, wenn Sie Zeuge eines Angriffs auf Demokratie werden und darüber schweigen?”

Jerry Gonzalez, Geschäftsführer der Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, verglich die Gesetzentwürfe mit den berüchtigten Wahlbeschränkungen, die Farbige davon abhielten, im Süden Stimmzettel abzugeben, bevor die Bürgerrechtsbewegung in den 1960er Jahren das Stimmrechtsgesetz einführte.

“Wir haben mit Geschäftspartnern und Handelskammern gesprochen, um sie dazu zu bringen, sich zu verstärken”, sagte Gonzalez gegenüber CNBC. “Viele von ihnen haben sich stark zu Fragen der Rassengerechtigkeit geäußert. Nun, dies ist ein Jim Crow-Angriff auf die Stimmrechte, der gerade stattfindet.”

Die frühere demokratische Gouverneurskandidatin Stacey Abrams sagte, die Wirtschaftsführer sollten bei einem Anruf bei den von ihr gegründeten Stimmrechtsorganisationen Fair Fight Action und More Than A Vote, die vom NBA-Superstar gegründet wurden, eine eindeutige Haltung gegenüber den vorgeschlagenen Wahlbeschränkungen in Georgien und anderen Staaten einnehmen LeBron James, berichtete die Verfassung des Atlanta Journal.

“Es sollte kein Schweigen in der Geschäftswelt geben, wenn jemand an der Macht versucht, dem Volk das Wahlrecht zu entziehen”, sagte Abrams auf der Telefonkonferenz. “Es sollte einen Farbton und einen Schrei geben.”

Bernice King, die Tochter von Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., sagte am Mittwoch, sie habe einen Brief geschrieben, in dem sie die CEOs von in Georgia ansässigen Unternehmen aufforderte, sich den Gesetzesvorlagen zu widersetzen und ihren Einfluss auf die Gesetzgeber des Staates Georgia zu nutzen, um restriktive Gesetze zu blockieren.

“Es wird nicht wie gewohnt weitergehen”, sagte Albright von Black Voters Matter. “Wenn Sie sich nicht in das Geschäft des Kampfes für Demokratie einmischen können, müssen wir uns in Ihr Geschäft einmischen.”

Lesen Sie die folgenden Aussagen von Unternehmen und Unternehmensgruppen:

Aflac

Das Wahlrecht bei nationalen, staatlichen und lokalen Wahlen ist der Eckpfeiler der Demokratie. Wir müssen uns zusammenschließen, um eine zugängliche und sichere Abstimmung zu gewährleisten und gleichzeitig die Integrität und Transparenz der Wahlen zu gewährleisten. Da dieses wichtige Thema in Georgien und in Staatshäusern im ganzen Land diskutiert wird, erwarten wir, dass Fairness und Integrität die ständige Diskussionsgrundlage sein werden.

Coca Cola

Abstimmungen sind in Amerika ein Grundrecht, und wir werden weiter daran arbeiten, die Stimmrechte und den Zugang in Georgien und im ganzen Land zu verbessern. Wir unterstützen die Bemühungen der Metro Atlanta Chamber und der Georgia Chamber of Commerce, einen ausgewogenen Ansatz für die Wahlgesetze zu ermöglichen, die in dieser Sitzung in der Georgia Legislature eingeführt wurden. Das ultimative Ziel sollten faire und sichere Wahlen sein, bei denen der Zugang zu Abstimmungen breit abgestützt und inklusiv ist.

Delta

Delta ist mehr als 75.000 Menschen stark – und unsere gemeinsamen Werte fordern uns auf, unsere Stimmen zu Gehör zu bringen und engagierte Mitglieder unserer Gemeinschaften zu sein, von denen die Abstimmung ein wesentlicher Bestandteil dieser Verantwortung ist. Die Gewährleistung eines Wahlsystems, das eine breite Wahlbeteiligung, einen gleichberechtigten Zugang zu den Wahlen und faire, sichere Wahlprozesse fördert, ist für das Vertrauen der Wähler von entscheidender Bedeutung und schafft ein Umfeld, in dem sichergestellt ist, dass alle Stimmen gezählt werden.

Home Depot

Wir glauben, dass alle Wahlen zugänglich, fair und sicher sein und eine breite Wahlbeteiligung unterstützen sollten. Wir werden weiter daran arbeiten, dass unsere Mitarbeiter sowohl in Georgien als auch im ganzen Land über die Informationen und Ressourcen verfügen, um abstimmen zu können.

UPS

UPS glaubt an die Bedeutung des demokratischen Prozesses und unterstützt die Erleichterung der Fähigkeit aller Wahlberechtigten, ihre Bürgerpflicht auszuüben. Wir setzen uns für das Bewusstsein und Engagement der Wähler ein. Bei den letzten Wahlen führte UPS eine Aufklärungskampagne für unsere Mitarbeiter mit dem Titel “Drive the Vote” durch, um die Mitarbeiter zur Stimmabgabe zu ermutigen. Die Kampagne “Drive the Vote” war unparteiisch und befürwortete keinen bestimmten Kandidaten oder eine bestimmte Partei. Wie andere Unternehmen in der Gemeinde arbeiten wir mit der Metro Atlanta Chamber und der Georgia Chamber zusammen, um einen gerechten Zugang zu den Umfragen und die Integrität des Wahlprozesses im gesamten Bundesstaat sicherzustellen.

Dave Williams, SVP Public Policy der Metro Atlanta Chamber:

Eine breite Wahlbeteiligung, ein gleichberechtigter Zugang zu den Wahlen und faire, sichere Wahlprozesse sind für das Vertrauen der Wähler von entscheidender Bedeutung und tragen zu einem Geschäftsumfeld bei, das Wachstum und Vitalität fördert. Wir arbeiten weiterhin eng mit Mitgliedern der Generalversammlung von Georgia zusammen, um einen ausgewogenen Ansatz für die in dieser Sitzung eingeführten Wahlgesetze zu ermöglichen. Wir prüfen sorgfältig, welche Auswirkungen die Gesetzesvorlagen auf den gerechten Zugang zu den Wahlen und die Integrität der Wahlen in unserem Staat haben würden.

Bei der Beurteilung spezifischer Wahlgesetze werden wir uns weiterhin auf unsere Grundwerte im Zusammenhang mit Wahlen stützen:

Wir glauben, dass der Wahlprozess in Georgien fair, sicher, genau und für alle Wahlberechtigten in Georgien gleichermaßen zugänglich sein sollte.

Wir glauben, dass unser Staat und unsere lokalen Regierungen alles tun sollten, um die Wahlbeteiligung zu maximieren und unnötige Hindernisse bei unseren Wahlen zu minimieren, während gleichzeitig an der Gewährleistung der Wahlintegrität gearbeitet wird.

Wir setzen uns für die Aufklärung der Wähler und ein breites Engagement im Wahlprozess ein. Unsere bisherigen Maßnahmen haben dieses Engagement gezeigt. Unsere zukünftigen Aktionen werden dasselbe tun.

Wir setzen uns weiterhin für eine ausgewogene Gesetzgebung ein, die die Abstimmung zugänglicher und sicherer macht. Die Aufhebung der nicht entschuldigenden Briefwahl trägt wenig dazu bei, den Prozess sicherer zu machen, und birgt ein großes Risiko für die Teilnahme.

Handelskammer von Georgia

Die georgische Kammer arbeitet weiterhin parteiübergreifend mit den Führern der Generalversammlung an Gesetzesvorlagen, die sich auf das Stimmrecht in unserem Staat auswirken würden. Wir haben Bedenken und Widerstände gegen Bestimmungen sowohl in HB 531 als auch in SB 241 zum Ausdruck gebracht, die den Zugang der Wähler einschränken oder einschränken. Während diese beiden Sammelrechnungen den Gesetzgebungsprozess durchlaufen, werden wir weiter daran arbeiten, sowohl die Zugänglichkeit als auch die Sicherheit innerhalb unseres Abstimmungssystems zu gewährleisten.

Georgia Greater Black Handelskammer

GGBCC bekräftigt: “Alle Wahlberechtigten sollten in Georgien wählen können.” Was HB 531 und SB 241 betrifft, sollten sich die Gesetzgeber nicht auf die “Dringlichkeit” verlassen, um diese Rechnungen zu unterzeichnen, einen Schritt zurücktreten, offen für andere Ansichten sein und das tun, was “RICHTIG” ist. Die Black Business und Community Leaders haben zum Ausdruck gebracht, dass sie “GEGENÜBER” sind. Und GGBCC vertritt sie.

“Unsere Organisation spielt eine sehr wichtige Rolle für das Wirtschaftswachstum in Georgien”, erklärt Melinda Sylvester, CEO von GGBCC. “Dementsprechend glauben wir, dass es unsere bürgerliche Pflicht ist, mit allen Wählern in unserem großen Staat zusammen zu stehen. Damit zeigen wir unsere kollektive Stärke, um sicherzustellen, dass die Bemühungen unserer Brückenbau-Initiative weiterhin Bausteine ​​für die Fortsetzung und Zukunft sein können Erfolg für alle Georgier. ” Die Organisation ermutigt ferner alle GGBCC, Geschäftsinhaber und aufstrebenden Geschäftsinhaber, sich zu engagieren und mit ihren jeweiligen Gesetzgebern in Kontakt zu bleiben.

Categories
Politics

Biden Indicators Order Meant to Make Voting Simpler

Biden Signs Order Meant to Make Voting Easier

WASHINGTON – President Biden signed an executive order on Sunday instructing the government to take steps to facilitate voting. This was the 56th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march in Selma, Ala.

The multi-part ordinance aims to harness the far-flung reach of federal agencies to help people register to vote and encourage Americans to vote on election day. In a speech for the Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast on Sunday, Mr. Biden argued that despite the progress of the past half century, such measures are still necessary.

“The legacy of the Selma March is that nothing can stop a free people from exercising their most sacred power as citizens, but there are those who do anything to take that power away,” said Biden.

“Every eligible voter should be able to vote and let it count,” he said. “When you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Let more people choose. “

The president’s actions stem from his predecessor’s month-long attack on the voting process during the 2020 election and the January 6 riot that erupted in the U.S. Capitol after that predecessor, Donald J. Trump, repeatedly attempted the Reverse election results.

The order of the executive is relatively limited. It urges federal officials to investigate and possibly expand access to voter registration materials, particularly for people with disabilities, incarcerated and other historically underserved groups.

In addition, a modernization of the federally operated website Vote.gov is ordered to ensure that the most up-to-date information on votes and elections is made available.

However, the ordinance does not directly address efforts by many Republican-led lawmakers to restrict voting, including measures that would reverse postal voting established in many states during the pandemic.

Mr Biden has said he supports HR 1, a sweeping law on electoral rights that was passed by Parliament last week. This would weaken restrictive state voter identification laws, require automatic voter registration, expand mail-in voting and early voting, make it more difficult to remove voters from the list, and restore the right to vote for ex-offenders.

This legislation faces a difficult challenge in the evenly divided Senate, where the Republican opposition makes it highly unlikely to win the support of the 60 senators required to send it to Mr Biden’s desk.

Meanwhile, a senior administration official said that Mr Biden’s order was intended to show that the president was doing what he could.

Categories
Politics

What We Know About Voting in Georgia So Far

What We Know About Voting in Georgia So Far

[Follow our Live Georgia Senate Election updates.]

The runoff elections in Georgia on Tuesday are high-level competitions that will determine which party controls the Senate and set the agenda for the new administration in Washington.

Two Republican incumbents, Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, are fighting for their seats. If their Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock both win, the Democrats will recapture the Senate majority.

Control of the Senate will effectively set the parameters of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s first two years in office. A Republican-led Senate would make it difficult for him to fill his cabinet, pass laws, and advance his political priorities.

Here’s what we know about the two runoff elections ahead of Election Day.

According to the University of Florida US election project, three million people have already voted in the runoff, almost 40 percent of all registered voters in the state. This total exceeds the 2.1 million ballot papers that were cast in the last runoff elections to the Senate in 2008.

The early voting dates suggest the races are very competitive. There is some evidence that the Democrats had a greater percentage of early voters than they did in the general election, raising hopes for a party that has traditionally been the underdog in runoff elections. The Atlanta area, home to the Democrats’ political base, had some of the highest voter turnout rates in the state’s early polls.

The outcome now depends on whether Republicans can overcome early Democratic gains when they vote on Tuesday. Vote rates were lowest in the conservative northwest corner of the state, worrying some Republicans. Others, however, argue that their supporters tend to vote in greater numbers on election day and hope that President Trump’s rally on Monday in Dalton, a northwestern city, will bring more Republicans to the polls.

The Democrats’ early electoral advantage helped them beat Mr Trump in the November election when Mr Biden won nearly 400,000 more postal votes in the state.

For those planning to vote in person on Tuesday, polling day, polling stations open at 7 a.m. east coast time and close at 7 p.m. Anyone waiting in line at 7pm can stay in line to vote.

Postal ballot papers must be received by 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, by post or in a Dropbox to be counted. (The Democrats warned voters Monday not to post ballot papers at this point, but to put them in drop boxes.) Military and foreign ballot papers must be postmarked by Tuesday.

Strategists from both parties are unsure of what to expect after a close race. Demographic change has changed politics in Georgia and turned the traditionally conservative southern state into a hotly contested battlefield.

In November, Mr Perdue received 49.7 percent of the vote, just below the majority he would have needed to avoid a runoff, while his challenger, Mr Ossoff, had 47.9 percent – a difference of about 88,000 votes. The field was overcrowded in the other Senate competition: Mr. Warnock finished with 32.9 percent of the vote and Ms. Loeffler with 25.9 percent.

Modeling the electorate for these rematches is not easy: a runoff election in Georgia never determined the balance of power in the Senate – or was caught in the middle of a pandemic.

Both parties expect a significantly higher turnout than in the 2008 Senate runoff, although few analysts expect numbers close to the five million Georgia voters who will vote in the November general election.

At this point in the race, voter turnout is 23 percent lower than it was in the November election, according to Ryan Anderson, a data analyst in Atlanta. About 1.2 million people who voted at the beginning of the general election have not yet voted in the runoff elections.

The Georgia State Election Board extended some emergency provisions from the November election, such as the retention of dropboxes for postal ballot papers. Some of the rules have been adjusted to encourage faster counting, allowing winners to sit earlier. The new congress was sworn in on Sunday.

Districts were required to start scanning and processing ballots at least a week before the election, but cannot start counting or tabulating until the polls are completed on Tuesday. These new rules can lead to faster results, although in a close race, most Georgians (and everyone else) might go to sleep before the news outlets have enough results to declare a winner.

In November, it was a week and a half after Election Day before it became clear that Mr Biden had won the state.

Republicans are expected to take the lead early on election night, both because the more conservative areas of the state tend to report results faster, and because in-person votes that favored Republicans during the pandemic tend to be released earlier will. Highly democratic counties, including the Atlanta suburbs that helped Mr Biden win, historically take longer to count votes.

And yes, there could be another counting round. Under Georgian law, the losing candidate can request a recount, in which the election officials would scan the ballot papers again if the gap between the candidates is within half a percentage point.

After several votes last year, state officials are preparing for any eventuality. Deputy Foreign Minister Jordan Fuchs has stated that the requirement of a full recount – as in November – does not apply to runoff elections.

Runoff elections have traditionally been relatively sleepy competitions with a lower turnout that favored Republicans due to a decline in Democrats, especially black voters, after the general election. (The runoff election itself was developed by white Georgians in the 1960s to dilute the power of black voters.)

Not this year. A staggering influx of political spending flooded the state as campaign activists, party officials and outside groups came to the races. According to Ad Impact, an ad tracking company, nearly $ 500 million was spent on advertising to saturate the radio waves at unprecedented levels.

Democrats have worked to keep voter turnout high, step up their public relations work, target color voters with targeted advertising campaigns, and deploy a flotilla of high-performing political stars for the state. As Mr Trump was preparing for his rally on Monday evening, Mr Biden stood up for the Democrats in Atlanta that afternoon.

The drive to reach new voters, led by Stacey Abrams, has led an estimated 800,000 residents to vote for this election cycle – a wave that voter mobilization groups have been trying to build on since November. Some Democrats and voting groups have raised concerns about polling station access and possible repression.

The democratic effort could work: Early voting data shows that nearly 31 percent of voters who cast ballots are black, an increase of about three percentage points over their share in the general election.

Republicans believe that some voters who supported Mr Biden will want a review of democratic power in Washington. However, their efforts were hampered by Mr. Trump’s refusal to end the previous competition.

The release of an audio recording of a phone call in which Trump pressured Georgian Foreign Minister Brad Raffensperger to scrap the election results has rattled the runoff election in recent days.

Some Republican strategists fear that Mr Trump’s attacks on the presidential election results will hamper their efforts to win back some of the suburban moderate voters who fled their party in November.

A fringe Conservative group is also encouraging Republicans to boycott the elections in support of Mr Trump’s baseless claims of fraudulent vote counting that could undermine the margins of the two incumbents.