Business for Voting Rights

Business Letter to Congress in Support of Voting Rights

Honorable Members of Congress:

As a 25-year-old in the spring of 1965, John Lewis, your friend and former colleague, then the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, led a march of over 600 people across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to secure the equal right to vote in this country. Fortified with an uncommon courage and an unwavering conviction that America could still fulfill its highest ideals, he was met that day with a force that left him and other marchers bloodied but they remained determined. In the months that followed, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 with the strongest protections against voter discrimination in American history, altering how elections would be run in this nation for the next five decades.

In the 2020 election, Americans came together to work the polls, get out the vote, and cast their ballots in spite of the pandemic, achieving historic levels of voter participation. The business community is proud of our role in encouraging our employees, customers, and communities to exercise their right to vote and have a say in our government. Widespread civic engagement is essential to a stable society and robust economy. Our democracy is strongest, as Congressman Lewis knew, when we all can vote.

At the same time, the election highlighted deep inequities in how our elections are run. Despite decades of progress, impediments to exercising the right to vote persist in many states, especially for communities of color. We need federal protections to safeguard this fundamental right for all Americans.

To this end, the undersigned group of U.S. employers urges Congress to address these problems through legislation amending the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Last Congress, the House of Representatives passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. We support the ongoing work of both the House and the Senate to enact legislation amending the Voting Rights Act this Congress.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, long considered the crown jewel of civil rights legislation, contained provisions that prevented the adoption of discriminatory rules that limited access to voting in states with histories of voting discrimination. Those provisions were reauthorized four times by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in the U.S. Congress, and every time the VRA has been reauthorized it has been signed into law by a Republican president. Upon signing the 1982 reauthorization into law, President Reagan said that “Citizens must have complete confidence in the sanctity of their right to vote, and that's what this legislation is all about. It provides confidence that constitutional guarantees are being upheld and that no vote counts more than another.” 

In 2013, the Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder struck down those provisions in a 5-to-4 decision as unconstitutional. The effects were immediate. Within days, states formerly covered by the law began passing legislation to make voting more difficult with burdensome voter ID requirements, polling place closures, reductions in early voting, the elimination of same-day voter registration, and purging voter rolls, all of which disproportionately affected communities of color. In handing down its ruling, the Supreme Court invited Congress to update the coverage formula to ensure the law is responsive to current voting conditions. Congressional action on that invitation is long overdue.

Congress needs to amend the Voting Rights Act to restore necessary safeguards by updating the Voting Rights Act’s coverage formula to prevent voting discrimination, as well as establish a more transparent and accountable system for states to report election law changes. Legislation amending the Voting Rights Act must help ensure that voters of color who remain the targets of voter suppression have equal and unfettered access to the democratic process.

Representative John Lewis called the right to vote “the most powerful non-violent tool we have in our democratic society.” He was a fierce advocate of the Voting Rights Advancement Act (HR4) because our country is in an “ongoing struggle to redeem the soul of America, and we’re not there yet.” As we approach the first anniversary of Congressman Lewis’ passing, his life’s work to strengthen American democracy must now be ours.

While each of our companies is unique, we are united in the belief that every American deserves a voice in our democracy. It is our government’s role to ensure voting is accessible to all. We urge Congress to add to the legacy of Representative Lewis by passing Voting Rights Act legislation that assures that every voice is heard.

Respectfully,

Signatory companies & business organizations 

Companies

The original 161 signatory companies

• 500 Startups
  Adasina Social Capital
  Airbnb
  Amalgamated Bank
  Amazon.com
  Anji Mountain
  APCO Worldwide
  Apple
  Arcweb Technologies
  Asana
  Aspen Skiing Company
  Avocado Green Brands
  Azavea
  Bad Robot Productions
  Beautycounter
  Beepboop
  Ben & Jerry’s Homemade
  Beneficial State Bank
  Best Buy
  The Blueprint Strategy Group
  Bountiful Books
  Box
  Boyne Resorts
  Burton
  Capricorn Investment Group
  CareHero
  CareVet
  Chicory Wealth
  Cisco
  Clif Bar & Company
  Clover Sonoma
  The Collab Lab
  Commercial Property Services
  Compose[d]
  Countable
  CREDO Mobile
  CredSpark
  Cummins
  CustomerCount
  Danone North America
  Dave Gragg Agency
  Direct Agents
  Doing Good Works
  DoorDash
  Dr. Bronner's
  DSM North America
  ECOS
  Edelman
  Edthena
  Empowered Education
  Encore Renewable Energy
  Etsy
  Eventbrite
  Facebook
  Flex Fusion Studios
  For the Win
  Good Energy Guild
  Google
  Greenlight Financial Technology
  H&M USA
  Hannon Armstrong
  Harry’s
  Heart Centered Psychotherapy
  Herra Productions
  The Hershey Company
  HigherRing
  Hims & Hers
  HP
  Ibis Communications
  IKEA U.S.
  Impax Asset Management
  Infosys
  Initiate Government Solutions
  Intel Corporation
  Invitae
  Jonathan Rose Companies
  Juniper Networks
  JustLaws
  Keap Co.
  KEEN
  Key Medium
  L. M. Lewis Consulting
  Leading Change Consulting & Coaching
  Legacy Vacation Resorts
  Levi Strauss & Co.
  Lime
  Litwin Law
  Live Well Brands
  LM Studio
  Lyft
  M1PR
  Macy's
  Mailchimp
  Mars, Incorporated
  MegaFood
  Microsoft Corporation
  Mighty Cricket
  MobiusVP
  MOM's Organic Market
  Mondelez International
  MPAC Healthcare
  Namaste Solar
  Nerdy Diva
  Nestlé USA
  Nextdoor
  Oak Street Health
  Okta
  Optimize International
  Patagonia
  PayPal
  PepsiCo, Inc.
  Pinterest
  PrivacyWall
  Propr Design
  Public Good
  Puente Strategies
  Randa Apparel & Accessories
  Raven + Lily
  REI Co-op
  Reimbursify
  RenewComm
  Rivanna Natural Designs
  RKT Technology
  Salesforce
  Salt Palm Development
  Sameem Afghan Restaurant
  Sealaska Corporation
  ServiceNow
  Seventh Generation
  Shipt
  Shoshana Technologies
  Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
  Sing Out, Louise! Productions
  Smilow + Mathiesen
  Sony Music Group
  Southeast Tourism Society
  Square
  Starbucks
  Taizu
  Target
  TAXA
  Teddy Stratford Apparel
  Tesla
  Tiffany & Co.
  Traditional Medicinals
  Trillium Asset Management
  Tripadvisor
  TSquared Consulting
  Uncommon Bold
  Under Armour
  Unilever USA
  Universal Music Group
  UserTesting
  Vail Resorts
  Vault.co
  Verify Venture Studio
  W.S. Badger Company
  Warby Parker
  Warner Music Group
  Watson Agency
  wearwell
  Wellington Flowers and More
  Whisk: a Sustainable Bakeshop
  Xfund
  Zillow
  Zoom

Business Groups

Black Economic Alliance
Business for America
Chamber of Progress
Florida For Good
Small Business Majority
Sustainable Food Policy Alliance
Mainstreet Alliance
North Carolina Business Council
Indianapolis Urban League
TechNet
T-REX Technology Entrepreneur Center
West Philadelphia Corridor Collaborative