Brad Smith, the President of Microsoft, has taken to the company blog to speak out about the Election Integrity Act (via The Verge). In a post entitled "Why we are concerned about Georgia's new election law," Smith opens with a few statements outlining how much business Microsoft does in Georgia and how invested the company is in the city of Atlanta specifically. Smith then details how, as part of Atlanta's business community, Microsoft feels a need to voice its worries regarding the new act.
Smith's words are straightforward:
We are concerned by the law's impact on communities of color, on every voter, and on our employees and their families. We share the views of other corporate leaders that it's not only right but essential for the business community to stand together in opposition to the harmful provisions and other similar legislation that may be considered elsewhere.
He goes on to outline how the Election Integrity Act's restrictions on voting drop boxes and absentee boxes cause unnecessary trouble for average people looking to vote. "From our perspective, there is no rational basis for the Georgia legislature to authorize secure drop boxes but limit their use so severely," Smith writes.
This isn't the first time the President of Microsoft has spoken out about political matters. Within the past few months, Smith has both congratulated Joe Biden on becoming the president of the United States as well as defended Microsoft's donations to politicians who fought the certification of Biden's Electoral College results. Needless to say, Smith has kept himself busy navigating the trickiest of political tightrope acts. His statements regarding Georgia's Election Integrity Act further cement that we'll be hearing more of Microsoft's political views as the months roll on.
