Blockchain payments startup Ripple has joined an alliance comprising of almost 1,000 major U.S. companies and CEOs calling for calm and fairness in Tuesdayâs presidential election.
The Civic Alliance now has 993 member firms with an employee count totaling more than 5 million, according to the its website.
âWe believe voting should be safe and accessible to everyone, everywhere. Thatâs why Ripple is 100% in #ForDemocracy with @CivicAlliance,â Ripple said in a tweet Tuesday.
The group is advocating for all U.S. citizens to have âa voiceâ in the countryâs democratic processes. âVoting should be safe and accessible to all. Elections should be fair and transparent,â a statement on the website reads.
Some of the countryâs largest companies are pledging to the cause, including Microsoft, Twitter, Deloitte, Facebook and PayPal among others. The group has committed to offer paid leave for their employees, allowing them time to go out and vote, as well as assist at polling stations on Nov. 3.
âAs business leaders, weâre committed to strengthening our democracy by encouraging nonpartisan voter participation,â the allianceâs website reads.
While not referenced directly by the alliance, incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump has sought for months to undermine some elections processes such as mail-in voting, seen by his campaign as favoring the Democrats. On Monday, he heavily criticized a decision by the Supreme Court to allow Pennsylvaniaâs extended count of mail-in ballots postmarked by election day.
Some Trump supporters have also been taking to the streets in truck convoys and have reportedly disrupted voting in some areas.
Republicans have also raised concerns of left-wing violence if Joe Biden does not win. The National Guard is said to be on standby in case of unrest around the election.
âGrowing civil unrest, and polarizing politics are challenging our democracy in new ways,â states the Civic Alliance.
The groupâs CEOs statement calls for âsafe access to the polls for all voters,â for election officials to be recognized as the âtrusted source for certified resultsâ and âpatienceâ as all votes are counted.
Ripple joining the group is perhaps something of a surprise, after its CEO Brian Armstrong eschewed corporate activism in favor of a âmission focusedâ stance in a blog post in September.
See also: Who Is Better for Bitcoin, Trump or Biden?