Coke Ban Is NC County's Retaliation For Georgia Voting Law Stance

SURRY COUNTY, NC — Surry County Commissioners have voted to cancel Coke.

Last month, in a 3-2 vote, the county commissioners decided to ban Coca-Cola vending machines from all county buildings in response to the beverage company speaking out against Georgia's new law that restricts access to voting.

Surry County Commissioner Eddie Harris said that the move was an attempt to stand up to "cancel culture," an accusation that conservative beliefs are being silenced through liberal pressure, WRAL reported. "Yes, we are trying to cancel Coca-Cola," Harris said, according to the station. "To use their tactics against them."

Georgia's Republican-led election reform made sweeping changes to the state's voting laws by eliminating signature matching for absentee voting and instead requiring state-issued ID's or ID numbers for eligibility verification. This move is expected to scale back the historic voter turnout Georgia witnessed in the November 2020 election that flipped Georgia to a blue state and carried President Joe Biden to the White House, leading former President Donald Trump to stoke false claims of election fraud.

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, along with UPS, Delta Airlines, and a list of other major companies, issued statements condemning the law in early April after its passage. "We are disappointed in the outcome of the Georgia voting legislation," Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey said in a statement, that pointed to the company's efforts to work with Georgia Assembly members at the outset of plans for this law.

The stance did not sit well in Surry, however.

"Our Board felt that was the best way to take a stand and express our disappointment in Coca-Cola's actions, which are not representative of most views of our citizens," Harris said in a letter to Quincey, NBC News reported."Our Board hopes that other organizations across the country are taking similar stances against Coca-Cola and sincerely wishes that future marketing efforts and comments emanating from your company are more considerate of all your customers' viewpoints."

Despite affirming the ban on Coke in the May 17 vote, it remains unclear how the measure will be implemented. Earlier this week, the vending machines had not yet been removed from the county buildings, WRAL reported.

A Coca-Cola representative has reached out to the county commissioners, according to reports.