Activists in the US state of Georgia have called for a nationwide boycott of Coca-Cola until the company voices its opposition to amendments to voting law which have been sponsored by the Republicans and which critics say would restrict voting access.
"It is a dangerous thing for the business community to be silent,” said Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate. We are obliged at this moment to call for all voices to be lifted up. And for the alarm to ring not only through the communities that are threatened directly, but by those businesses that rely on the durability of our democracy."
The state's media report that businesses in Georgia have taken a guarded approach to the proposed amendments and refrained from voicing strong opposition to them. After the state’s chamber of commerce released a statement expressing "concern and opposition" to the voting bills, Home Depot and Coca-Cola said they were "aligned" with the chamber’s position.
After the Washington Post wrote that Home Depot opposes the proposed amendments the company said the alignment with the chamber of commerce doesn’t mean it opposes the voting bills.
What is in the Amendments?
The legislation would require voters to show ID when voting by mail and cut early voting in the state’s most populous and non-white counties. In addition it would restrict ballot drop boxes. Republicans, who came up with the proposed changes, say they will protect election integrity, but critics say they are aimed at curbing turnout from Democrat voters.
During the past presidential election, Georgia, a traditionally Republican state, voted for Democrat Joe Biden, and voters backed two Democrat senators during the state’s senate election this January.
Former president Donald Trump claimed that widespread voter fraud helped Biden to win the election. Trump and his supporters filed more than 50 lawsuits demanding recounts of ballots, but most of them have been shot down or withdrawn because of a supposed lack of evidence.