NBA Offers Up Arenas as Voting Locations, Pledges to Promote Civic Engagement

Leia IdlibyAug 28th, 2020, 1:44 pm
 

The NBA has pledged to promote civic engagement and criminal justice reform as they offer up arenas as voting locations across the United States in order to promote safe in-person options during the presidential election.

The move comes after NBA and WNBA players protested their playoff games in the wake of the police shooting of 29-year-old Black man Jacob Blake. Commentator Kenny Smith also walked off the set of Inside the NBA in solidarity with protesting NBA players, while Chris Webber announced that he was “very proud of the players.”

The players agreed to resume their games as long as the league would work together to promote voting and civic engagement throughout the U.S.

In a joint statement, NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver detailed plans to establish a social justice coalition, which will focus on increasing access to voting and advocating for criminal justice reform. The league also pledged to include advertising spots in each playoff game that promotes greater engagement in all elections.

“In every city where the league franchise owns and controls the arena property, team governors will continue to work with local election officials to convert the facility into a voting location for the 2020 general election to allow for a safe in-person voting option for communities vulnerable to COVID,” the statement promises. “If a deadline has passed, team governors will work with local election officials to find another election-related use for the facility, including but not limited to voter registration and ballot receiving boards.”

The Daily Beast’s Max Burns took to Twitter to share the full statement:

 

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