Major League Baseball (MLB) is going up against the election laws in Georgia, and 200 companies are siding with the MLB. This comes after Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed the Election Integrity Act of 2021 (SB 202) into law. The 95-page law requires a photo or state-approved ID to vote absentee by mail, expands early voting across the state to a minimum of one week before Election Day, expands poll hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., mandates that secure drop boxes be placed inside early voting locations with constant surveillance, and shortens the election cycle to four weeks from nine.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump are both weighing in as well. Trump is calling for a boycott on companies against Georgia’s new election laws. He tells supporters to “never submit.”
And others raise concerns about how China is involved. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared an article on Twitter about MLB’s partnership with Beijing Enterprises Real-Estate Group—a top Chinese state-owned enterprise—and wrote: “Georgia’s laws don’t comport with MLB ‘values’ but China’s do?”
Chinese state media reported on April 1 that the MLB will continue to be aired on the streaming platform operated by Chinese tech giant Tencent, which has significant ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
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