| |
Dear Friend, Throughout the last presidential and congressional election season, ASBC offered business leaders nationwide timely, relevant information to encourage participation despite the worst health crisis in 100 years. Both major political parties saw record-breaking turnouts, which boosted ASBC’s confidence in our democratic process. We’re still optimistic about representative institutions in the U.S., but we are very concerned about the latest legislative developments in Georgia. New legislation there threatens to enact early-voting restrictions that are likely to discourage voting by citizens residing in the state’s underrepresented communities. This new legislation seeks to ban voting on the two Sundays that fall within the early-voting period, hampering implementation of successful get-out-the-vote mechanisms used largely by minority groups in Georgia. The bill also would require voter ID to participate in absentee voting, although a number of citizens, particularly older minority-group members, may not have such ID. | |
ASBC is deeply concerned that around 100 similar bills are being introduced in battle-ground states around the country. Other bills discouraging voters are also in work. In Florida and Iowa, legislation has been introduced that would significantly limit options to participate in the electoral process, by making it harder to request absentee ballots and limiting voting periods. In Arizona, a proposal would give state legislators the possibility of overriding certification of election results and let legislators declare a candidate of their choosing as the winner! The intentional erosion of voting and fair elections is unspeakably dangerous to a representative form of government. Let’s stand up for it now. Join the growing array of business leaders who understand a resilient, prosperous economy rests on a strong, reliable democracy. Sign this letter to tell your state legislators and governor that the business community will always stand for America’s representative institutions—and that we’re watching to be sure they are, too. | |
