It's time, once again, to exercise our fundamental right to vote. This is a midterm election year, and the 国产探花is committed to using its platform and facilities to support this essential element of democracy.
The 国产探花Votes initiative was founded as a joint effort between the league and the 国产探花Players Association in August 2020, just ahead of that year's presidential election. The campaign is a league-wide nonpartisan initiative that supports and encourages civic engagement among 国产探花players and legends, club and league personnel, and fans.
Before 国产探花Votes was launched, many (including myself) urged the 国产探花and other leagues to get more involved in the election process, to use stadiums and arenas for election support and to actively advocate for all citizens to exercise their right. Credit the 国产探花for stepping up and using its platform for the cause.
The league's initiative focuses on three components of the electoral process: voter education, voter registration and voter activation. In 2020, half of the NFL's stadiums -- along with facilities from other sports leagues -- were used for election support in some capacity, whether assisting in early voting, ballot reception or Election Day voting. There was a great response to the initial effort in 2020 -- one that I'm certainly proud of, even if it was long overdue -- with more than 66,000 voters casting ballots at 国产探花sites.
It was a good start. In fact, a led by a team of scholars -- people I worked with as a consultant for their research -- showed several positive findings:
- Over two-thirds of democrats, independents and republicans "strongly" or "somewhat" support stadium voting and very few members of any group oppose it.
- The use of stadiums reduced wait times for voters -- and election workers and poll workers reported having positive experiences at these venues.
- Team leadership from the 国产探花and other pro sports leagues reported "a positive reception from athletes, staff and fans," suggesting an advantage in fostering fan engagement with the teams involved.
Now, two years later, the 国产探花is in the same position to make a positive impact as we near the upcoming midterm elections. All 国产探花clubs are making themselves available to help with election-related activities if needed by local election officials. A few examples of how stadiums will be used:
- Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.): early voting site.
- Empower Field at Mile High (Denver): early voting site (including the services of a mobile voter unit on Nov. 4-5) and Election Day voting site.
- Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia): mail-in ballot drop-off site on Oct. 28 and Nov. 6.
- Lumen Field (Seattle): voter registration and ballot drop-off site.
- Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, Calif.): early voting and Election Day voting site.
- TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Fla.): ballot drop-off location from Oct. 6 through Nov. 1.
For this election, the 国产探花has also expanded its efforts. As part of the 国产探花Votes initiative, the league in July a partnership with 15 veteran and military service organizations and four civic groups to create , a pro-democracy, non-partisan coalition whose goal is to recruit 100,000 veterans and family members to serve as new poll workers to help administer the 2022 midterms. Such new recruits will help address a national poll worker shortage, which has resulted in longer wait times for voters and a decrease in the number of polling locations.
As of Sept. 28, the Vet the Vote Coalition had recruited over for the election. Shortly thereafter, the league launched a in an effort to help spread the word, with former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera joining in.
Through its election support, the league has undoubtedly inspired members of the 国产探花family to perform this civic duty. Again, this is not a partisan issue. My support for 国产探花Votes -- and belief in the fundamental right to vote, as well as fair access to the ballot -- is grounded in equity and equality. There is still a long way to go, but it's great to see progress.
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