The CEO of Coca-Cola Co. previously publicly denounced Georgia’s election reform bill, but has since shown a conciliatory attitude.
The Atlanta-based soda company did not co-sign the latest statement from more than 500 companies and individuals who condemned any election legislation that “limits” voters’ “equal and fair opportunity to vote. The statement, which ran as a two-page ad in The New York Times and The Washington Post on Wednesday (April 14), was co-sponsored by the Black Economic Alliance.
In a statement to The Washington Examiner on Wednesday (April 14), Coca-Cola said the company “has not seen the letter” initiated by the coalition, but “is certainly open to hearing their views. It said it has been supportive of voting rights and will evaluate how it can support them.
“We believe that the best way to make progress now is for everyone to come together to listen, respectfully share concerns and collaborate to find a way forward. We remain open to productive dialogue with advocacy groups and lawmakers who may have different views.” The company said. “Now is the time to find common ground. Ultimately, we all want the same thing – free and fair elections, which are the cornerstone of our democracy.”
Coca-Cola’s comments Wednesday were significantly less confrontational than previous statements on Georgia’s voting laws.
Gov. Joe signed the state legislature into law late last month to pass the Election Reform Act. The bill requires a photo identification (ID) when casting an absentee ballot; it also requires enhanced security at the ballot box, among other things. Republicans say the law will restore confidence in the legitimacy of elections in the state after the 2020 elections. But the move was opposed by the left.
Liberal activists have pushed the company to denounce the legislation, and last month at World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, left-wing protesters staged a “die-in” in which demonstrators lay on the ground and pretended to be dead. Some demonstrators, including a bishop from the African Methodist Episcopal Church, threatened to boycott Coca-Cola. The company quickly stated its opposition to the legislation on electoral reform.
In a statement in early April, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said, “We want to state clearly and unequivocally that we are disappointed with the outcome of the legislation on the Georgia ballot” and that “throughout the Georgia legislative session period, we provided feedback to members of the legislature and political parties opposing measures in the bill that would have reduced or impeded access to the ballot.”
In an interview with CNBC, Quincy was even more vocal in his condemnation of the voting law, calling the legislation “unacceptable” and a “step backwards.
And after Coca-Cola issued its condemnation, the company was targeted by disgruntled conservatives and boycotted.
Former President Donald Trump called on his supporters to boycott the soft drink maker, among other companies, as did Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. “Stop buying their products until they compromise. We can play better than them.” Trump said in an April 3 statement.
In Georgia, conservative state lawmakers notified the Georgia Beverage Association in early April to remove all Coca-Cola products from their offices because Coca-Cola was supporting the “elimination” of Georgia’s election system.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), the ranking member of the Congressional Banking Committee, told the Washington Examiner on Monday (April 12) that “many conservatives will inevitably choose to boycott these companies” to counter their involvement in overturning the voting law.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also denounced that big companies should not get involved in political and partisan strife, which could have negative consequences for them.
On Wednesday, Coca-Cola issued a new statement to the Washington Examiner calling for “common ground” and noting that it is open to “productive dialogue among advocacy groups and lawmakers” with different viewpoints, which could be a sign that it is efforts to quell pressure from both sides of the political spectrum.
Delta Air Lines, Georgia’s largest private employer, is also facing a Republican backlash over the voting law, and the company also did not sign a two-page advertising statement that ran in major newspapers Wednesday. Delta Air Lines declined to comment when contacted by The Washington Examiner.
The joint statement released Wednesday is broad and does not specifically address individual provisions of the Joe State Voting Act, though it does express general opposition to efforts to reform voting laws nationwide.
“In order for American democracy to work for any of us, we must ensure the right to vote for all of us,” the statement reads. “We should all feel a responsibility to defend the right to vote against any discriminatory legislation or measure that restricts or prevents any eligible voter from having an equal and fair opportunity to vote.”
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