Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., announced Wednesday that they are ending their membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Wal-Mart had been a member of ALEC since 1993, and the company held a seat on ALEC’s governing board and also co-chaired the Public Safety and Elections Task Force – the committee responsible for advancing “Stand Your Ground” legislation across the U.S. This decision makes Wal-Mart the 18th major corporation to cut ties with the secretive, ultraconservative organization.

Good government organizations including People For the American Way have collected over 500,000 signatures from their members, activists and concerned Americans calling on corporations to sever their ties with ALEC.

“Wal-Mart’s decision confirms the growing consensus in the business community that ALEC does far more harm than good,” said Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way. “The 18 corporations that have stopped supporting ALEC’s dangerous agenda have made the right choice. Customers don’t want their paychecks going to support laws that disenfranchise and endanger their families and communities.”

“I commend Wal-Mart’s decision to listen to the thousands upon thousands of American voices who believe Wal-Mart had no place in an organization that tries to suppress the right to vote, promote discrimination and presents dangerous gun laws that are harmful to all,” said Minister Leslie Watson Malachi, Director of PFAW’s African American Ministers In Action. “When we stand together to make our voices heard, the movement we build cannot be ignored. ALEC’s extreme and undemocratic agenda has motivated a diverse movement that is growing stronger every day. One by one, our efforts are helping make our communities better for all families and especially those most vulnerable – those with special needs, our children and our elders.”

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