NBA Takes Voting Efforts League-Wide
October 9, 2020
The National Basketball Association family has committed to taking league-wide action in support of expanding voting access and civic engagement in the US. Across the country, NBA and WNBA teams, players and coaches are taking action to support unbiased voter registration, transform arenas and team facilities into voting centers and encourage fans to become poll workers.
On National Voter Registration Day in September, the leauge launched a new online resource hub highlighting efforts around voting in the upcoming US General Election. Read on to learn more about the many great initiatives made over the past months to advance and expand voting efforts:
- The NBA is partnering with a group of leading non-partisan civic engagement organizations to feature messaging promoting voting, poll worker recruitment and Census completion in every playoff game. These partners include When We All Vote, I Am A Voter, Vote.org, More Than A Vote, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Urban League and BallotReady.
- The New Orleans Pelicans announced that the Smoothie King Center will be an early vote site from October 16-27. The Pelicans’ announcement brings the total number of NBA teams utilizing their arenas or facilities for voting related activities to 21.
- Nine WNBA teams have teamed up with When We All Vote to launch the Unite The Vote challenge, a competition between teams to see who can register the most voters. They have also paricipated in initiatives to 'get out the vote' including last month's Hoopers Vote Day.
- The NBPA has partnered with vote.org on the NBPA Voter Registration Project, a frictionless online destination for players and their families to check their registration status, register and request a mail-in ballot.
- In partnership with BET and the National Urban League, the NBA participated in National Black Voter Day to empower and mobilize Black Americans’ participation in the November election. Throughout the day, members of the NBA family, including NBA Champion Udonis Haslem, NBA legend God Shammgod, Sacramento Kings chairman Vivek Ranadivé, NBA champion Tyson Chandler, Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey, Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., NBA All-Star Blake Griffin and NBA Champion and Vera Institute of Justice trustee Caron Butler, will lend their voices across BET’s platforms encouraging voters to create a plan to ensure their voices are heard.
- WNBA and NBA teams have also advocated for social justice in the past months by striking amid player protests for the police shooting of Jacob Blake and launching 'Team Up for Change' addressing social injustice and community challenges.
Representatives from the NBA will be speaking at Beyond Sport House from Home in October. View the program and register today.