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Lakers Announce That Staples Center Will Be A Voting Center For Presidential Election

Staples Center will be among the arenas and stadiums that will be turned into a voting center for the November election.

Melissa Rohlin

Staples Center will be a voting center for the presidential election in November, the Lakers, Staples Center, AEG and the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk announced Saturday. 

“The Lakers organization is extremely pleased to be able to partner with AEG and the County of Los Angeles to open up Staples Center to provide a safe and easily accessible location for people to vote,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement Saturday. “For our democracy to function, all citizens need to be able to vote in a secure and safe way – and we’re very happy to be able to play our part in ensuring that they can.”

After NBA games were postponed Wednesday in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting, the players had a virtual meeting with owners Thursday to ask them to take some specific actions.  

On Friday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts released a joint statement in which they agreed to establish a social justice coalition, work to convert arenas into voting centers in every city where a franchise owns and controls the property and include advertising spots that promote "greater civic engagement" during all playoff games.

So far, 12 NBA teams have announced that they will use their arenas or practice facilities as voting centers. 

On Aug. 13, LeBron James' voting coalition More Than A Vote and the Dodgers announced that Dodger Stadium will be also be a voting center in November, marking the first time that a Major League Baseball team agreed to use its stadium as a polling site.

James helped found More Than A Vote in June to end Black voter suppression.

The Lakers superstar tweeted Saturday his support of Staples Center also becoming a polling center. 

"Homecourt!!!" James wrote. "Change isn’t made sitting on the sidelines @morethanavote #BlackLivesMatter."

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Melissa Rohlin
MELISSA ROHLIN

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