In an open letter, Microsoft’s president explained why the company is concerned about the impact of the new electoral law in Georgia.
Microsoft posted a public letter expressing its disagreement over a new electoral law in Georgia that the 2021 Electoral Integrity Act will affect the choices for Microsoft employees In the public letter, Microsoft President Brad Smith listed several ways the new law is harmful to both the state and the company’s employees.
Smith previously announced Microsoft’s plans to complete its new Atlanta office space later this year. Further plans for future expansion and the forecast of steady growth in the state (and in the country). In addition to the new office space, the company is also investing significant resources in promoting the community in the city. Among other things, more literacy programs are being opened in schools and universities in the region.
Amid the political climate emerging from the 2020 presidential election, the Georgian government has taken steps to influence future electoral progress. In a public statement, Smith and Microsoft expressed concern about the new law and said it will prevent the company’s Atlanta employees from voting. In particular, Smith listed the various restrictions on the number of dropboxes available, the new postal voting limit, and the requirements for interim voting papers.
Microsoft’s concerns about the impact of the new law
The company plans to make Atlanta “one of Microsoft’s largest hubs in the US.” As such, it also hopes to employ thousands of people in the area and so is heavily invested in events in the state. Microsoft expressly points out that the reduction in the number of drop boxes significantly limits the options for Microsoft employees. When Microsoft employees take unexpected business trips, some may not make it to the ballot papers for the new regulatory guidelines. For example, an employee traveling outside of the state no longer has the earlier 180 day deadline to receive a postal vote. Likewise, a hectic worker who ends up at the wrong Dropbox can only vote after 5 p.m. that day.
While the statement focuses more on Microsoft employees, it also emphasizes the law’s impact on people of color in the state. All of this leads to Microsoft’s president calling on Georgian lawmakers to reconsider and reconsider the provisions of the new law. Aside from Georgia, this isn’t the first time Microsoft has been involved in political events recently.
Source: Microsoft
