![Ann White of Roswell holds protest signs on the North Wing stairs of the Georgia State Capitol building on day 38 of the legislative session in Atlanta, Thursday, March 25, 2021. “It ain’t over yet,” said White. “I look forward to going door-to-door working against everybody that voted for [SB 202].” SB 202, which overhauled the state's voting laws, passed the House Chambers and was immediately transferred to the Senate Chambers, where it was passed and quickly signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp. (Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com)](https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/PXKFXMNGLUEQ6YUKOCYXPEVU2I.JPG?auth=899af1c643956136ade2b86c0ee2ef027cf5e2ae22695092785e60b2e0c23511&width=1600&height=900&smart=true)
A number of top executives and corporate leaders gathered online this weekend to discuss what to do in response to changes to some state voting laws, according to multiple news reports.
The Washington Post reported that more than 100 leaders, including executives from major airlines such as Delta, retailers and manufacturers talked about potential ways to show they opposed the legislation, which has already been signed into law in Georgia and is being considered elsewhere. That includes halting donations to politicians who support the bills and even delaying investments in states that pass the restrictive measures, according to Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a Yale management professor and one of the organizers.
The Post reported that Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank was among those on the Zoom call. When contacted Sunday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a spokesperson for Blank wouldn’t comment on the meeting.
The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources who attended, said that Kenneth Chenault, the former chief executive of American Express Co., and Kenneth Frazier, CEO of Merck & Co., urged dozens of leaders to collectively call for greater voting access. Chenault and Frazier warned businesses against dropping the issue and asked CEOs to sign a statement opposing what they view as discriminatory legislation on voting.
The new statement could come early this week and would build on one that 72 Black executives signed last month in the wake of changes to Georgia’s voting laws, according to the newspaper’s report. In the wake of Georgia’s election overhaul, Major League Baseball pulled this year’s All-Star game from Atlanta.
A number of companies and their leaders have spoken up on the issue in recent weeks. While Republican lawmakers — such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — have derided such action, many activists and others say big business hasn’t gone far enough.
More than 350 different voting bills are under consideration in dozens of states, according to a tally from the Brennan Center for Justice, a public-policy think tank. The Wall Street Journal reported that some executives on the call described some bills as either racist or restrictive, and several participants described their efforts as critical to democracy, rather than partisan.
While many companies indicated their support of a statement or further action, some remain reticent to speak out on a politically charged issue.
One executive from a Fortune 100 consumer-products company told the Wall Street Journal that while board members, employees and vendors are pressing leaders to speak out, doing so could put a bull’s-eye on the company.
“It’s really a no-win situation from a corporate standpoint,” the executive said.
