A healthy democracy, as I pointed out in my last post, is a precondition for moving forward on most of the issues and causes we fundraisers serve.

When democracy breaks,  the systems, and institutions we strive to fix or improve become far harder or even impossible to repair or advance.

The daily flood of human tragedy and awfulness in Ukraine caused by a dictator on the hunt makes Russia’s strain of  authoritarianism. This vicious threat didn’t occur overnight.  It’s taken Putin nearly 20 years to smother Russia’s post-Soviet newly born baby democracy in its crib.

That’s why I believe it’s wise –and certainly not crying wolf—to be on the alert to the seemingly small and non-violent acts in our own democracy that represent dangers—stealthy but real—to our democracy.  Don’t think for a moment “it can’t happen here.”

Sometimes these insidious threats ooze out from the seemingly most benign and even venerated sources. Like good ole “Ma Bell”—American’s venerated  telecom and media giant, AT&T.

Most of us believe the right to vote and easy access to the ballot box is pretty fundamental to democracy.

So, I was struck by this piece in Popular Information exposing the hypocrisy over voting rights by AT&T.  Please take the time to read this piece. 

It’s just one example of some of the hidden dangers to democracy, but hopefully it will put you on alert—as a consumer, as a seeker of corporate contributions, as an investor, and as a citizen.

Here are some extracts from Popular Information’s research that should concern—and alert—you.  And remember, AT&T isn’t alone.  There are dozens of “trusted” household names who are big on hypocrisy and seemingly quite light on their actual concern for democracy:

“AT&T publicly claims to be an ardent supporter of voting rights. AT&T posted a four-minute video on its corporate website, “AT&T Employees Honor Those Who Fought for the Right to Vote,” documenting a trip to Selma, Alabama, to honor John Lewis and others that fought for voting rights.

“But, from 2018 to 2021, AT&T donated at least $574,500 to the politicians behind Texas’ voter suppression legislation. Over the same time period, AT&T donated at least $99,700 to the Georgia politicians behind that state’s new law to restrict voting. In 2021, AT&T donated $150,000 to the Republican State Leadership Committee, which is pushing legislation in numerous states to restrict voting. [Emphasis added]

“Some AT&T shareholders have had enough. A shareholder resolution has been introduced calling on AT&T to “publish a report, at reasonable expense, analyzing the congruence of the Company’s political and electioneering expenditures during the preceding year against publicly stated company values and policies, listing and explaining any instances of incongruent expenditures, and stating whether the Company has made, or plans to make, changes in contributions or communications to candidates as a result of identified incongruencies.”

I’m not an AT&T shareholder, but I am a consumer. I’ve written the company asking why I shouldn’t switch my wireless account to another carrier.  And, as a nonprofit board member I’ll be asking about the organization’s investment policies when it comes to companies with political activities that subvert democracy.

Every consumer is worried about inflation and big corporations’ role in it.  Every consumer also needs to be alert to corporate actions that erode our democracy.

Roger

P.S.  As noted in this post, AT&T isn’t alone in making contributions that erode democracy.  Here’s a partial list compiled by Popular Information of other corporations that contributed to political organizations seeking to undermine democracy.