How Corporations Can Derail the GOP Voter Suppression Blitz

Fight for the people, or pay the price

On January 10, 2010, The Supreme Court ruled that the free speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting the amount of money that corporations and other groups can spend to influence politics in the U.S. In one bitterly divided court ruling, corporations were given the legal rights of people, free to spend vast sums to support or oppose (or buy) political candidates.

The Era of the Super PAC was born, and Mitch McConnell––who hailed the decision as a just ruling that protected the rights of groups to express themselves politically––was seen doing backflips through the halls of Congress. Or, he would have been if he didn’t have the disposition and athleticism of a slow-moving tortoise.

A decade later, as corporations are using their power to speak out against the tsunami of Republican-sponsored voter suppression bills, suddenly the GOP minority leader believes corporations “should stay out of politics.” You have to hand it to Mitch. He doesn’t give a flying fig about being labeled a hypocrite or being on the wrong side of history and democracy.

“My warning, if you will, to corporate America is to stay out of politics.” —Mitch McConnell

There’s one thing McConnell does care about, however. Money. Yes, rich Mitch loves him some good-old-fashioned corporate cash. He doesn’t want businesses to stop donating to campaigns. “I’m not talking about political contributions,” McConnell later clarified. The dishonorable minority leader wants his cash cows to shut up about equality, social justice, and voting rights and forget about those things they shouldn’t worry their silly little heads about.

Just give us unlimited funds, remain silent, and let us destroy any notion of having free and fair elections that reflect the will of the people. Actual people, that is, not the collective conglomerate “we the people.”

With the political landscape rapidly shifting, Republican leaders increasingly find themselves out of touch with Americans and even corporate America as a whole. Profit-driven corporations are waking up to a new reality in which it’s no longer profitable to ignore the seismic shift of collective consciousness that has taken place in the wake of George Floyd’s public lynching.

What the late professor Derrick Bell described as “interest convergence” is happening again today. Business leaders recognize that voting rights and real election integrity are fundamental to maintaining our democracy (and their unlimited profits).

While their motivation might be far from altruistic, businesses are expanding their commitments to diversity, anti-racism, and election equality. It stands to reason that all these things are good for the economy. But more importantly, they’re essential to the survival of America.

In April, more than 700 corporations, law firms, non-profit leaders, and other individuals—from both major political parties—signed a two-page statement published in The New York Times and other newspapers affirming their support for voting rights in America.

While it’s a great start, corporations must do more. They have the power to stop this un-American assault on democracy, and there are several ways they can use their influence to ensure our elections are free and fair for everyone.

Be loud, and don’t let up

Before they become law, corporate leaders can condemn voter suppression bills, the way Salesforce spoke out against Georgia HB 531. They should denounce anti-democratic laws and back up the threat with action, such as taking their business to other states.

Some voting rights advocates disagree with that tactic as it adversely affects the very voters being oppressed. I respect Stacey Abrams, trying to convince Major League Baseball to keep its All-Star Game in Atlanta, even if I disagree. I understand Abrams fighting for Georgians. But moving the Midsummer Classic to Denver sent a clear message to other state legislators that passing laws to restrict voting will have consequences.

Play hardball like the MLB

Major League Baseball set the standard corporations should follow. Texas––already one of the most restrictive states to vote in––is on the verge of passing a voter suppression bill that, among other things, would greatly empower poll watchers to “monitor” (a fancy Texas word for “intimidate”) voters.

It begs the question, why does a state so dedicated to preventing minorities from voting get three NBA teams? Perhaps it’s time for the NBA, and its predominately Black players, to exert their power and influence to protect voting rights. Why not watch the Maui Mavericks, the Vermont Spurs, or the Baltimore Rockets hoop it up in a state that supports voting equality?

Cut the faucet to Jim Crow conservatives

If you want to pressure politicians, nothing sends a clearer message than cutting off campaign contributions. As the great Wu-Tang Clan poet Method Man says, “cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M., get the money, dollar dollar bill, y’all.” You hear that Delta Airlines? Stop funding anti-democratic politicians like Brian Kemp.

Sponsor voter rights organizations

Business leaders should put their money where their mouth is by funding voting rights organizations and other groups fighting for social justice. They should say, “Black lives matter,” they should mean it, and they should prove it monetarily.

CEOs worried about offending white supremacists and people brainwashed by right-wing media propaganda should remind themselves that leaders lead, losers lie, and history judges. If they can fund the politicians pushing to restrict voting, they can change course and sponsor those fighting for equality and fairness.

While corporations are infinitely more powerful than a single person, “we the people” have the power to bring these conglomerates to their knees. Public companies have a duty to act in the public interest. Still, citizens and consumers also have a responsibility to use their voice and wallets to pressure organizations into doing the right thing. Ronald Reagan said, “trust but verify.” I say, never trust, and never let up on these empty suits.

Expose the donations that destroy democracy

It shouldn’t be surprising that corporations are speaking out against voter suppression after the events of January 6. But bills to restrict voting aren’t a new phenomenon. Many of the same organizations issuing politically expedient press releases have sponsored and funded voter suppression for years.

According to Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer rights advocacy group, corporations have contributed $50 million since 2015 to state legislators supporting voter suppression bills, including $22 million during the 2020 election cycle. These soulless entities must be called out and held accountable by every citizen who cares about democracy. What’s at stake is whether or not we will continue having democracy.

Corporate funding of fascism in 2020

• AT&T $312,780
• Altria/Philip Morris $351,850
• Comcast Corporation & NBC Universal $167,400
• UnitedHealth Group $201,600
• Walmart $146,000
• State Farm $121,500
• Pfizer $133,925
• BNSF Railway Co $151,990
• Farmers Insurance $127,730
• Koch Industries $132,350
• Dominion Energy $152,600
• Anheuser-Busch Co $104,550
• Verizon Communications $111,575
• Union Pacific Corporation $106,200
• General Motors $86,200

“Corporations have contributed $50 million since 2015 to state legislators supporting voter suppression bills, including $22 million during the 2020 election cycle.”

Shame is the name of the game

Many conservatives complain about cancel culture. Even some who identify as progressives say it’s gone too far. But “cancel culture” is simply a label given by people who are resistant to a rapidly changing society that’s now hyper-alert to the injustices plaguing our country.

Fortune 500 leaders aren’t exactly woke, but they’re aware of public sentiment and the long-term ramifications of a crumbling democracy. Millions of Twitter keyboard warriors stand at the ready, waiting to shame companies headed by leaders who refuse to do the right thing. Aside from the threat of public shaming, they should already be ashamed.

A conglomerate of the people

It’s hard to put faith in capitalistic groups whose sole purpose is to maximize profit with little consideration for how it impacts ordinary Americans. Regardless of what the Supreme Court implied in their Citizens United ruling, business enterprises are not people. But they’re made up of human beings who have been given a tremendous amount of power. Now is the moment to use it.

So, what’s it going to be, corporations? Democracy, equality, and a country that’s admired by the world? Or fascism, quick profits, and a legacy of shame?

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