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Mar 16, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Coca-Cola and Home Depot voice opposition to Georgia voting restrictions

Shawna Chen
Photo of demonstrators holding up signs and protesting Georgia's legislation restricting voting
Demonstrators protest in opposition of House Bill 531, which would curtail voting access, in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Megan Varner via Getty Images

Coca-Cola and Home Depot, two major corporations based in Georgia, expressed opposition to the state's push to restrict voting, the Washington Post reported Monday.

Why it matters: After the GOP lost in Georgia's Senate runoffs, Republican lawmakers moved quickly to introduce legislation that would make it harder to vote, baselessly citing voter fraud.

  • Civil liberties groups have pushed corporations based in Georgia to oppose the effort, which critics say would severely impact Black voters.

The state of play: After the Georgia Chamber of Commerce issued a statement Friday that emphasized its support of "accessible and secure voting while upholding election integrity and transparency," representatives from Coca-Cola and Home Depot told the Post the companies are "aligned" with the comments.

  • Activists are pushing the companies to do more, however, noting that Black voters make up 30% of the state's electorate and consumer base.
  • Other companies have neither endorsed nor opposed any provisions.

What they're saying: "These corporations talk a big game about racial justice," Chris Baumann, vice president of Service Employees International Union, said in a statement to WashPost.

  • "But if the companies that profit from Black and brown people claim they back all Georgians, then they have to show up now when it counts."

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