Major U.S. Companies Slam Voter Suppression Laws, Then Donate to Their Sponsors

[babylonsister]

Major U.S. Companies Slam Voter Suppression Laws, Then Donate to Their Sponsors
The companies’ donations appear to contradict their public statements in support of voting rights.
by Donald Shaw
January 19, 2022
Sludge produces investigative journalism on lobbying and money in politics. The American Prospect is re-publishing this article.


In April 2021, as Republican-controlled states began passing bills that will restrict voting in upcoming elections, cable and media giant Comcast put out a statement declaring its opposition to the measures.

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In the following months, however, Comcast and its political action committees made donations to several Republican lawmakers who authored voter suppression bills that were signed into law last year. At least 19 states enacted 33 laws that further restrict access to voting in 2021, according to a recent analysis by the nonpartisan institute Brennan Center for Justice.

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Pharmaceutical company Merck signed a pro-voting rights statement that was published as an advertisement in the New York Times on April 14. “For American democracy to work for any of us, we must ensure the right to vote for all of us,” the ad reads. “We call upon all Americans to join us in taking a nonpartisan stand for this most basic and fundamental right of all Americans.”

After signing the ad, Merck donated $1,000 in September to Florida’s Baxley and $1,000 in October to Texas Republican State Senator Lois Kolkhorst, the primary sponsor of one of the state’s two new voter suppression laws and a cosponsor of the other one.

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JPMorgan Chase also donated to a cosponsor of Texas SB 1, giving $1,000 from its PAC to Sen. Dawn Buckingham in September. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon released a statement in March saying that “as state capitals debate election laws, we believe voting must be accessible and equitable,” and that “We regularly encourage our employees to exercise their fundamental right to vote, and we stand against efforts that may prevent them from being able to do so.”

AT&T is another company whose political donations seem to contradict its public statements.

more...

https://prospect.org/power/major-us-companies-slam-voter-suppression-laws-then-donate-to-their-sponsors/

[Sherman A1]

1. We want our cake 🎂 and be able to eat it too

Nothing surprising here.

[BlueJac]

2. Business as usual!

Nothing new here.

[Act_of_Reparation]

3. Gosh.

It's almost like businessmen are full of shit or something.

[LonePirate]

4. Low tax rates and tons of loopholes are more important than customer values.

[onecaliberal]

5. They think we're stupid. We need to be very public about what they're doing.

[burrowowl]

6. Why am I not surprised!?

[maxrandb]

7. Look, it's really frickin simple

None of this will ever change. The racism, fascism, misogyny, hatred and white supremacy...NONE OF IT will change, unless and until we make racism, fascism, misogyny, hatred and white supremacy unprofitable to the corporations that fund it, and the people that enable it.

We either get serious about boycotts and using the economic power that we have, or we don't.

It really is getting to the point of General Strike and economic boycotts, or Civil War. These are quickly becoming the options that are left.

And that's not hyperbole.

[uponit7771]

8. K&R,