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Dear John, With voting rights protection legislation blocked by the filibuster rule in the Senate last month, it is more important than ever that business leaders continue their efforts to promote democracy and highlight its critical importance to a more just, equitable and broadly diverse economy. The American Sustainable Business Network’s Business for Democracy working group will meet again virtually on Wednesday, February 9, at 1 p.m. ET., to set our 2022 policy agenda and the role businesses might play in assuring the mid-term elections are free and fair. More than 200 business leaders signed on in January, to a letter sponsored by ASBN and several allied groups urging the Senate to pass H.R. 5746, the House-passed measure that combined Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. That same letter also advocated on behalf of changing the Senate filibuster rules to permit passage of voting rights legislation with a simple majority rather than the current 60-vote super majority the filibuster rules require. While those bills may be on hold for now, Congress is considering changes to the more than 100-year-old Electoral Count Act, which was one focal point of attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, when the U.S. Capitol was attacked in the first serious challenge to the peaceful transfer of power since the Civil War. And there are efforts as part of those discussions to add additional protections for voting. The threat to our democracy is real and business leaders must step up. Please join us in this virtual meeting on Wednesday, February 9, at 1 p.m. ET. | |
