Businesses Call on Congress to Amend Voting Rights Act to Honor the Late John Lewis this Session

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 160 companies from across the country sent a letter to Congress today urging the introduction and passage of Voting Rights Act legislation to honor civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis and end discrimination in voting. The letter was sent ahead of the first anniversary of Rep. Lewis' passing. The legislation the companies are supporting would update the 1965 Voting Rights Act to strengthen and protect the right to vote for all eligible Americans.

Businesses of all sizes, sectors and regions have come together with the shared commitment to protect voting rights for all Americans and ensure all eligible Americans can freely cast their ballots so that every voice is heard. Signatories include: Best Buy, Google, Hershey Company, Mars, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Target and Zoom.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been reauthorized four times, all by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in the U.S. Congress, and each reauthorization was signed by a Republican president: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush. When it was reauthorized most recently in 2006, it received unanimous support in the Senate.

The legislation is part of the historic legacy of Congressman Lewis, who passed away on July 17, 2020. The late Rep. Lewis was a fierce advocate for voting rights – the horrific beating of John Lewis on Bloody Sunday as he led a march in Selma for voting rights prompted Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Rep Lewis once said, "When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something." It is in that spirit that these businesses came together to send this letter to Congress to heed Rep. Lewis' call to use our voice and speak up for a democracy that works for every American.

The letter affirms that amending the Voting Rights Act would restore necessary safeguards by updating the coverage formula to prevent voting discrimination, as well as establish a more transparent and accountable system for states to report election law changes. The legislation would also help ensure that voters of color and language minorities who remain disproportionately impacted by voter suppression have equal and unfettered access to the democratic process. 

Click here to view the full letter and list of signatories.

All companies and business organizations are invited to sign this letter to Congress.

SOURCE Business for Voting Rights