Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press
In partnership with When We All Vote and RISE, the Sacramento Kings have announced the relaunch of Gather the vote, a coalition consisting of 20 teams across the NBA, NFL, MLB, WNBA, MLS, and NWSL aimed to get unregistered voters to the polls.
The coalition, which is non-partisan, includes Chicago Bulls, Chicago Sky, Chicago White Sox, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and Fever, Los Angeles Football Club, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, New York Giants, Phoenix Mercury, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Storm, Washington Magicians and mystics and Washington Spirit.
“There is no better way to be heard than to vote and it is important that we all do our part to lower the barriers to voting,” said Sacramento Kings owner and president Vivek Ranadive. “The idea of ’one person, one vote’ is part of why I fell in love with this country as a teenager. Whether you agree or disagree with your elected officials, the vote gives us the opportunity to make our voices heard.
To the Kings, we believe sports teams have a unique responsibility to use our platforms for positive change and are thrilled to Rally the Vote alongside these amazing teams. “
Rally the Vote was initially founded in 2018 to spur an increase in voting in mid-term elections. Only 53% of registered voters voted in the 2018 election. There are at least 88 eligible Americans who have not registered.
When We All Vote seeks to increase the participation of young minority voters by helping them register to vote and providing information on how to cast their vote. RISE is a non-profit organization “which educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, upholding social justice and improving racial relations. “RISE has partnered with several teams in major sports in the United States.
NBA, WNA, MLS, NWSL, and MLB have included increased civilian engagement in their reboot initiatives. The Kings are one of several NBA teams that plan to allow their arenas to be used for voter registration and voting in November. The Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks are among the teams that are opening their arenas as well.
Additionally, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James announced the launch of his organization More Than a Vote, which aims to raise awareness, registration and limit voter suppression, particularly in the black community.
Each of the coalition members is encouraged to give employees paid leave on election day to encourage voting. The Bulls, Kings, Timberwolves and Lynx, and Wizards and Mystics have announced Election Day as a paid holiday.
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