Apr 1, 2021 - Technology

Exclusive: Apple's Tim Cook says voting "ought to be easier than ever"

Mike Allen

Apple CEO Tim Cook, an Alabama native with a lifelong interest in civil rights, joins condemnations of Georgia's new voting law, in a statement provided first to Axios.

What he's saying: "The right to vote is fundamental in a democracy. American history is the story of expanding the right to vote to all citizens, and Black people, in particular, have had to march, struggle and even give their lives for more than a century to defend that right."

"Apple believes that, thanks in part to the power of technology, it ought to be easier than ever for every eligible citizen to exercise their right to vote," Cook continues.
"We support efforts to ensure that our democracy’s future is more hopeful and inclusive than its past."

The big picture: The floodgates are open, as Axios' Courtenay Brown wrote on Wednesday. Almost a week after a bill that curbs voting access in Georgia became law — and nearly one month after it passed the state's House — a slew of corporations have come out against voter suppression.

Why it matters: In an era where businesses are more outspoken (and being pressured to be that way), their silence on this issue had been deafening.

Go deeper: Track all the CEO statements on voting rights here

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Exclusive: Apple's Tim Cook says voting "ought to be easier than ever"

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