More than 150 companies urge Congress to pass voting rights act

By Jessica DiNapoli

NEW YORK (Reuters) – More than 150 companies including Apple Inc, Best Buy Co Inc and PepsiCo urged U.S. lawmakers to present and walk a voting betterment enactment successful a missive signed connected Wednesday, arsenic different efforts person stalled successful Congress.

The companies called connected lawmakers to reintroduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, an amendment to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 named aft precocious U.S. Representative John Lewis, who died astir a twelvemonth ago. The enactment would assistance forestall voting favoritism and acceptable up an improved strategy for states to study changes successful predetermination law.

“We person a work to enactment until each American tin enactment successful our democracy, but that won’t hap until each eligible elector successful this state has fair, equitable and harmless entree to voting,” said Chip Bergh, CEO of Levi Strauss & Co, a signatory to the letter, successful a prepared statement.

The companies are portion of a radical of firm executives called Business for Voting Rights.

“The concern assemblage is arrogant of our relation successful encouraging our employees, customers, and communities to workout their close to ballot and person a accidental successful our government,” the companies wrote successful the letter.

U.S. companies have spoken up successful enactment of voting rights reforms and against restrictions connected voting that person passed successful Republican-controlled states including Georgia. Some companies have travel nether occurrence from elected officials for their positions.

Former President Donald Trump and his supporters made unfounded claims that determination was wide elector fraud successful the 2020 election.

Democrats are expected to reintroduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, Reuters has reported.

Another sweeping voting betterment act, the For the People Act, has languished successful Congress. President Joe Biden said successful Philadelphia connected Tuesday that enactment indispensable beryllium passed, but did not outline a way for it to flooded Republican opposition.

(Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli successful New York; Editing by Karishma Singh)