Amid calls for a boycott of the Atlanta-based airline, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian called Georgia's new voting law "unacceptable" and said that the "entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie."

What You Need To Know

  • Delta CEO Ed Bastian slammed Georgia's restrictive new voting law, saying it "does not match" the company's values

  • The law adds a photo ID requirement for voting absentee by mail, cuts the amount of time people have to request an absentee ballot, and bans peeople from handing out food or water to voters waiting in line

  • Delta faced criticism and calls for a boycott after issuing a statement that offered some praise for the bill on Friday, March 26, notably saying that the bill "improved considerably during the legislative process"

  • Bastian called the right to vote "sacred" and committed to "working with leaders across the political spectrum in states nationwide" to expand voting access

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the Republican-backed bill into law Thursday which includes new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run. Democrats and voting rights groups say the law will disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color. President Joe Biden called the bill "Jim Crow in the 21st Century" and "un-American."

The law adds a photo ID requirement for voting absentee by mail, cuts the amount of time people have to request an absentee ballot, and limits where drop boxes can be placed and when they can be accessed. It also bans people from handing out food or water to voters waiting in line and allows the Republican-controlled State Election Board to remove and replace county election officials.

The bill is part of a wave of GOP-backed election bills introduced in states around the country after former President Donald Trump stoked false claims that fraud led to his 2020 election defeat to Biden. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, there are 253 bills with provisions that restrict voting access in 43 states as of Feb. 19, 2021.

Activists have called for boycotts into major Georgia-based companies, including Delta, Home Depot, and Coca-Cola, believing those companies could have done more to oppose the bill.

Delta faced criticism for issuing a statement that offered some praise for the bill on Friday, March 26, notably saying that the bill "improved considerably during the legislative process."

Bastian made his position on the bill "crystal clear" in a letter to employees: "The final bill is unacceptable and does not match Delta’s values."

"The right to vote is sacred. It is fundamental to our democracy and those rights not only need to be protected, but easily facilitated in a safe and secure manner," Bastian added. "After having time to now fully understand all that is in the bill, coupled with discussions with leaders and employees in the Black community, it’s evident that the bill includes provisions that will make it harder for many underrepresented voters, particularly Black voters, to exercise their constitutional right to elect their representatives. That is wrong."

Bastian went on to say that "the entire rationale for this bill was based on a lie: that there was widespread voter fraud in Georgia in the 2020 elections," which he said is "simply not true" – a statement which has been backed up by officials in both the Trump administration and the Biden administration.

The Georgia law adds a photo ID requirement for voting absentee by mail, cuts the amount of time people have to request an absentee ballot and limits where drop boxes can be placed and when they can be accessed. It also bans people from handing out food or water to voters waiting in line and allows the Republican-controlled State Election Board to remove and replace county election officials. A separate lawsuit was filed against the law by several civil rights groups, including The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Georgia, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

Touting the company's get-out-the-vote efforts, Bastian said that the company is committed to fighting for voting rights and working to expand access to the ballot box.

"In the weeks and months ahead, we will be working with leaders across the political spectrum in states nationwide in this effort," Bastian said. "We’re also closely monitoring legislation in Congress – named after the late Atlanta civil rights hero and Delta friend John Lewis – that will expand voting rights nationwide and working with the Representatives and Senators that represent our communities."

"I know this result in Georgia has caused frustration, anger and pain for many members of our Delta family," Bastian concluded. "I commit to you that as we move forward, Delta will continue to do everything in our power to hear and protect your voice and your rights, both in Georgia and nationwide."

In a letter to more than 90,000 parishioners, Bishop Reginald Jackson, who presides over more than 400 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia, said the law is “racist and seeks to return us to the days of Jim Crow.”

Jackson is calling for corporate leaders at companies like Coca-Cola and Delta to speak out in opposition: "If we cannot persuade them or if they refuse to oppose this legislation then we will organize and implement a boycott of their companies."

The soda company's CEO James Quincey called the law "unacceptable" on CNBC Wednesday and said "it is a step backwards."

"This legislation is wrong, it needs to be remedied, and we will continue to advocate for it, both in private and in now even more clearly in public," Quincey added.

Coca-Cola previously said in a statement that the company has been engaged in "advocating for positive change in voting legislation."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.