Georgia’s new law is part of a spate of Republican-backed electoral laws introduced in U.S. states after former President Donald Trump’s false claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
The Georgia-based CEO of Delta Air Lines, Georgia, said Wednesday that the state’s revision of the state’s new electoral law was “unacceptable” and “based on a lie” after the company was criticized for not being forceful enough against the Law when it was examined by the republican leaders of the state.
CEO Ed Bastian offered his assessment of the new Georgia law in a memo sent to employees less than a week after Delta officials teamed up with other corporate lobbyists to formulate the final version of a sweeping measure that would support it could make it difficult for some Georgia citizens to vote.
The memo received by The Associated Press comes amid a few calls for consumer boycotts from Delta and other Georgia-based brands, including Coca-Cola, UPS and Home Depot. The Major League Baseball Players Union has also raised the possibility of moving the Summer All-Star game from the Atlanta Braves home stadium.
Delta Air Lines first issued a statement touting some parts of the law, such as: However, B. the Extended Weekend Voting said, “We understand that concerns remain about other provisions in the legislation and that this important effort continues.”
But Bastian spoke more urgently to the employees in the memo from Wednesday.
“The entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread electoral fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections. That’s just not true, “wrote Bastian, alluding to claims made by former President Donald Trump that his election loss was due to fraud. “Unfortunately, states across the country are using this excuse trying to pass similar laws restricting voting rights.”
Bastian reiterated that Delta has “joined other large corporations in Atlanta to work closely with elected officials from both parties to try to remove some of the most egregious measures from the bill.” We have had some success in eliminating the most oppressive tactics that some suggested. “
However, he emphasized: “I have to make it clear that the final bill is unacceptable and does not correspond to the values of Delta.”
The new bill was signed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp last week, hours after the state legislature approved it. It’s part of a spate of GOP-sponsored electoral laws introduced in states across the country following Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election. President Joe Biden won Georgia’s 16 electoral votes, with approximately 12,000 votes out of nearly five million votes, and the Democrats won two Senate runoffs on Jan. 5 to give the party control of the Capitol Hill Chamber.
Georgia officials, including Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, also a Republican, have vouched for the accuracy of the election counts, though they supported some changes that could make it difficult for Georgians to vote by post, a method that more than a fifth the November voter used.
Georgia law adds a photo ID requirement for postal voting documents, reduces the amount of time people spend requesting a postal vote, and limits where mailboxes can be placed and when they can be accessed. It also prohibits handing out food or water to voters standing in line, and allows the Republican-controlled state electoral committee to remove and replace county electoral officials while curtailing the foreign minister’s power as Georgia’s chief election officer.
Republicans in Georgia insist the changes are needed to restore voter confidence.
Civil rights and electoral groups have filed several federal lawsuits challenging Georgia law. Activists have also turned their attention to the urge by Democrats in Congress to take extensive federal action on the right to vote. The Democratic actions in Washington could effectively override many of the changes enacted in Georgia and under consideration in dozens of other Republican-led state legislatures.
