For those of us keeping score, 19 major corporations and 54 state legislators have cut their ties with the extremist American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Now pressure is mounting for other major corporations to join the exodus from ALEC and its agenda of voter suppression, union-busting and immigrant bashing.

After years of operating below the public’s radar, ALEC found itself in the spotlight over its involvement in Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law that's at the center of the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida.

Last week, the retail giant Wal-Mart, which has been one of ALEC’s biggest players over the years, announced it was severing its ties with ALEC. Wal-Mart joined ALEC in 1993 and was a key member of many of the group’s task forces, which create the fill-in-your-state’s-name model legislation to suppress voting rights and eliminate collective bargaining. Its model bills include anti-immigrant legislation, right-wing measures on education and big tax breaks for corporations.

For more on Wal-Mart's role in ALEC from the Center for Media and Democracy’s (CMD's) ALEC Exposed, click here and here.

CMD Executive Director Lisa Graves says the growing number of ALEC resignations shows:

the excellent work of advocates to shine a light on ALEC's extreme agenda is having a major impact.

She says that CMD, Color of Change, Common Cause, People for the American Way and others are focusing now on asking State Farm, AT&T and Johnson & Johnson to cut ties with ALEC.