Benzinga | Jun 3, 2021 02:42PM EDT

A North Carolina County Thinks Coke Is Too Woke, Bans Vending Machines Over Politics

A North Carolina county government has voted to remove Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) vending machines from its office buildings -- not out of health concerns over the soft drink, but due to disappointment over the company's recent foray into politics.

What Happened: The New York Post reported the all-Republican commission of Surry County voted 3-2 last week to remove the vending machines, citing Coca-Cola's opposition of Georgia's new voting laws.

"Millions of Americans believe that the last presidential election was not held in a fair manner and that more voter fraud will occur in the future if elections are not closely monitored and regulated," wrote Eddie Harris, a county commissioner, to Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey.

See Also: If You Invested $1,000 In Coca-Cola Stock One Year Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Now

Harris also voiced his frustration with the domestic political environment in an interview with WXII-TV.

"The left wing in America, they defund, they boycott, they cancel, they tear down statues -- all sorts of egregious actions," Harris said. "The expectation from them is the opposing political side will cower in the corner and we're supposed to accept that and it's supposed to be okay -- and it's not okay."

What's Next: Despite last week's vote, the Coca-Cola vending machines are still in place within the county's office buildings.

However, the vending machines are not the property of Coca-Cola's corporate offices, but belong to Coca-Cola Consolidated (NASDAQ:COKE), a regional bottling company that operates separately from the Atlanta-headquartered company.

Representatives from Coca-Cola Consolidated have sought a meeting with the county commissioners to discuss the issue.

(Photo by Mike Mozart / Flickr Creative Commons.)