AT&T donated over $800,000 to Republicans behind voter suppression bills

In 47 states across America, right-wing lawmakers, who still believe Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” that the election was stolen, have introduced hundreds of bills to make it harder for Black voters and other voters of color to cast their ballots. It’s absolutely shameful.

So who in the world would fund these extremist lawmakers? Much of corporate America, that’s who. 

A stunning new report by Public Citizen found that corporations have donated an incredible $50 million to lawmakers supporting these outrageous voter suppression efforts across the country.

Which company tops the list? AT&T, which donated nearly $811,000 to the state lawmakers behind these voter suppression bills. These donations are in addition to the $2 million AT&T donated to Congressional Republicans who said they would object to certifying President Biden’s victory.

While AT&T tries to publicly distance itself from overturning elections and funding voter suppression, these donations add to the company’s long history of donating millions to bankroll the right-wing agenda.

Ever since the Jan. 6 riots on the U.S. Capitol by insurrectionist Trump supporters, AT&T has tried to walk back its donations to the right-wing politicians who continue to promote election lies — and the company has failed miserably. 

As we previously noted, AT&T promised, after widespread condemnation, that it would suspend contributions to members of Congress who voted to object to the certification of the Electoral College. Yet, only a few weeks went by before they cut a $5,000 check to the leadership PAC of one of those insurrectionist Republican members of Congress.

Now, as lawmakers in state houses across the country propose harsh voting restrictions — like requiring voter IDs and limiting drop boxes, early voting, mail-in voting and voting on Sundays (a traditional day for voting in many Black communities), or even making it a crime to hand out water to people waiting in line to vote — AT&T is once again leading the pack in donations to right-wing politicians trying to suppress our votes. 

Some of these donations include at least $99,700 since 2018 to a group of Georgia Republican lawmakers who are sponsors of House Bill 315 and Senate Bill 241, two voter suppression bills that would make voting much harder for many Georgians. 

And at least $45,000 donated to Ron DeSantis and eight state senators backing Senate Bill 90, a harsh voter suppression bill that would ban ballot drop boxes, limit who could return a legal ballot to a polling place, and place restrictions on mail-in voting. 

And the $574,500 to Texas lawmakers behind some of the nation’s harshest voter suppression bills.

These donations by AT&T aren’t surprising, either. AT&T has a long and dark history of funding Republican lawmakers and right-wing causes, including $2 million to Trump’s inauguration, $2.7 million to anti-LGBTQ politicians, or $1.1 million to Republicans in the 2020 election (Check out an even larger list here).

At CREDO, our customers never have to worry that we will donate to Republican politicians or back voter suppression efforts. In fact, strengthening democracy and expanding the right to vote is a core value at CREDO. 

That’s why we’ve donated more than $10 million in total to groups like Fair Fight Action, Black Voters Matter, Vote.org and the Brennan Center for Justice. In 2020, our members helped us go above and beyond to launch “CREDO Votes 2020,” a special project to educate voters, get out the vote and donate an extra $250,000 to voting rights non-profit organizations. We donate nearly $2 million to progressive nonprofits every year, and more than $91 million since 1985.

If you or a friend are AT&T customers and would like your phone bill to fund the causes you care about — not Republicans who are trying to suppress the vote — visit CREDOMobile.com and learn how you can make the switch today.