More than a hundred top executives and corporate leaders gathered online this weekend to discuss their response to restrictive voting laws that were being considered in several states and already enacted in Georgia, according to a statement. of the meeting organizers.
The statement did not identify participants, but The Washington Post reported that the meeting included executives from major airlines, retailers and manufacturers and at least one NFL owner.
Without providing details, the statement – issued by the Yale School of Management and two other civic groups – noted that “CEOs indicated that they were willing to act individually and collectively to strengthen American democracy and ensure that the North “Americans have access to a world-class voting system.”
These actions could include stopping donations to politicians who support bills and even delaying investments in states that approve restrictive measures, according to Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale management professor and one of the organizers.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources who attended, reported that Kenneth Chenault, the former chief executive of American Express Co., and Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck & Co., urged dozens of leaders to call for col- collectively greater access to voting. Chenault and Frazier warned companies not to abandon the issue and asked CEOs to sign a statement opposing what they consider discriminatory voting legislation.
The new statement could arrive earlier this week and would be based on one that 72 black executives signed last month following changes to Georgia’s voting laws, according to the newspaper’s report.
Several companies and their leaders have spoken out on the issue in recent weeks. While Republican lawmakers, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Have ridiculed this action, many activists and others say big business has not gone far enough.
More than 350 different bills are under consideration in dozens of states, according to an account by the Brennan Justice Center, a public policy think tank.
The newspaper reported that some call executives described some bills as racist or restrictive, and several participants described their efforts as critical of democracy, rather than partisan.
While many companies have expressed support for a subsequent statement or action, some are reluctant to talk about a politically charged issue.