More Than 150 Companies Urge U.S. Congress To Pass Voting Rights Act

More than 150 companies including Apple, Inc., Best Buy Co Inc. and PepsiCo urged US lawmakers to introduce and pass a voting reform act in a letter signed on Wednesday, as other efforts have stalled in Congress, Jessica Dinapoli reported for Reuters.

The companies called on lawmakers to reintroduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, an amendment to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 named after the late US Representative John Lewis, who died nearly a year ago.

The act would help prevent voting discrimination and set up an improved system for states to report changes in election law.

"We have a duty to work until every American can participate in our democracy, but that won't happen until every eligible voter in this country has fair, equitable and safe access to voting," said Chip Bergh, CEO of Levi Strauss & Co., a signatory to the letter, in a prepared statement.

The companies are part of a group of corporate executives called Business for Voting Rights.

"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," the companies wrote in the letter. US companies have spoken up in support of voting rights reforms and against restrictions on voting that have passed in Republican-controlled states including Georgia. Some companies have come under fire from elected officials for their positions.

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