The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature this week passed a major bill overhauling election laws in the state, the latest of many to tighten voting rules this year. In Texas, as elsewhere, many businesses and industry groups have spoken out against the move, arguing that it is bad for the economy.<\/p>\n
Texas has persuaded many companies to relocate or expand operations there with its business-friendly policies. But in taking a stand on voting rights, some companies have invited scrutiny of their words and actions, especially with political donations. Balancing this against the tightening of some of the country\u2019s strictest voting rules will test companies\u2019 social pledges with financial imperatives.<\/p>\n
There is also the risk of political blowback for speaking out in a state with a Republican governor and a Republican senator embracing restrictive voting rules as a platform for potential presidential runs in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is about ensuring that all Texans trust the outcome of every election in Texas,\u201d Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican who presides over the Texas Senate, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
In the day or so after the voting bill passed, the first reaction of Texas-based businesses that spoke out on ballot access appeared to pivot to Washington, putting pressure on Congress to pass federal voting protections.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hoped for a different outcome,\u201d <\/strong>an American Airlines spokeswoman told the DealBook newsletter. The airline, based in Fort Worth, had sought legislation \u201cmaking it easier to vote, not harder,\u201d issuing a statement in April opposing the law. In May, the airline joined Fair Elections Texas, a nonpartisan coalition of about two dozen businesses \u2014 including Microsoft, Unilever and Levi Strauss \u2014 that called on lawmakers to expand ballot access.<\/p>\n A spokeswoman for Dell, which is based in Round Rock, said it would encourage employees to vote and urge political leaders to \u201cfocus on staying committed to a healthy and welcoming business climate for all Texans.\u201d Microsoft, Patagonia and Levi Strauss also said they were disappointed with the Texas bill\u2019s passage and called for Congress to pass voting rights legislation.<\/p>\n \u201cTexans love Texas,\u201d but they want Washington\u2019s help, said Nathan Ryan, an Austin city commissioner and the chief executive of the consulting firm Blue Sky Partners, part of the Fair Elections Texas group. He and others are strategizing, he said, and will approach the Biden administration and congressional leaders to press for passage of two federal voting rights laws: the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act. (Both passed the House but have stalled in the Senate amid a Republican filibuster.)<\/p>\n There is \u201can immediate need for a national minimum standard for voter protection,\u201d said David Clunie of the Black Economic Alliance, an organization behind a letter in April with hundreds of signatories condemning laws restricting ballot access.<\/p>\n New \u201ccategories of attack\u201d are being created, like introducing criminal penalties for election administrators, said Sarah Walker of the nonpartisan group Secure Democracy, which businesses and industry groups turn to for help understanding these bills.<\/p>\n