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More than 120 CEOs, top executives and other corporate leaders gathered virtually over the weekend to discuss how they would exert corporate pressure to influence voting legislation, organizers of the meeting revealed in a statement.

The meeting, which took place Saturday via Zoom, was organized by Yale School of Management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld in conjunction with the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism and the Leadership Now Project.

It was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

Sonnenfeld said after the meeting that the groups initially invited over 100 CEOs. “We were praying for 25 and we got 90,” he said, adding that they also managed to convince an additional 30 experts and historians to join the call.

While the groups declined to provide names of Saturday’s attendees, Merck & Co. CEO Kenneth Frazier and American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault were both reported to have spoken at the virtual gathering.


  (Clockwise from top left) Former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, Merck and Co. Chairman and CEO Kenneth Frazier, American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault, and Walmart Inc. CEO and President Doug McMillon reportedly attended the virtual meeting. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for National Geographic; Mark Sagliocco/WireImage; Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for NAACP LDF; Mark Wilson/Getty Images (Clockwise from top left) Former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, Merck and Co. Chairman and CEO Kenneth Frazier, American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault, and Walmart Inc. CEO and President Doug McMillon reportedly attended the virtual meeting. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for National Geographic; Mark Sagliocco/WireImage; Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for NAACP LDF; Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Frazier, who helped gather 71 other prominent black business leaders to sign a letter late last month condemning efforts to tighten voting rules, urged fellow CEOs to make similar calls.

Chenault reportedly did the same.

In a statement following the meeting, the group said, “CEOs indicated readiness to act individually and collectively to shore up American democracy and ensure Americans have access to a world-class voting system.”

New voting legislation that passed in Georgia overhauled election protocols in the state. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

“CEOs who participated in a live poll indicated they will re-evaluate donations to candidates supporting bills that restrict voting rights and many would reconsider investments in states which act upon such proposals.”

Other prominent names who reportedly logged on include WalMart CEO Doug McMillon, billionaire Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Ariel Investments co-CEO Mellody Hobson, Levi Strauss Chairman Chip Bergh, LinkedIn CEO Reid Hoffman, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and General Motors CEO Mary Barra.

Former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch and wife Kathryn Hufschmid Murdoch also attended.

Fox shares a common owner with News Corp., the publisher of The Post.

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Atlanta Falcons Arthur Blank reportedly attended the meeting.
Atlanta Falcons Arthur Blank reportedly attended the meeting.Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Ariel Investments President Mellody Hobson reportedly attended the meeting.
Ariel Investments President Mellody Hobson reportedly attended the meeting.Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Fortune
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Kenneth Chenault reportedly attended the meeting.
Kenneth Chenault reportedly attended the meeting.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Merck and Co. Chairman and CEO Kenneth Frazier reportedly attended the meeting.
Merck and Co. Chairman and CEO Kenneth Frazier reportedly attended the meeting.Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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The meeting comes amid debate over Major League Baseball’s decision to pull its All-Star Game from Georgia in protest of the state’s new voter law.

The legislation in question, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp late last month, overhauls election protocols in Georgia, placing new restrictions on voting by mail, requiring voter ID, and increasing legislative control over the voting process.

President Biden initially referred to the bill as “Jim Crow on steroids” the day after its signing, but went even further within days, saying he would “strongly support” moving the MLB’s mid-summer classic in protest.

Major League Baseball decided to pull its All-Star Game from Georgia in protest of the state’s new voter law. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

But Biden was awarded “Four Pinocchios” by the Washington Post, which endorsed his candidacy, for spreading misinformation about the state law’s impact on voting hours.

The law does not alter Election Day hours but expands early voting by adding a second mandatory Saturday. It also affirms that counties have the option of opening two Sundays and allows counties to extend early voting hours beyond standard business hours.

Within two days of the corporate and Democratic pressure campaign endorsed by the president, the MLB said it was pulling its mid-summer classic out of Atlanta to protest the law.

That move sparked backlash, given that the league opted to move its game from a city with a large population of minorities who would benefit from the business. It moved it to Denver, Colo., with a significantly lower minority population and even tighter voting laws than Georgia’s.

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