The NBA has once again affirmed its commitment to support voting by pausing its game schedule today with the intention of encouraging teams, players and fans to vote in state elections.
This is the second consecutive year that the NBA has made this decision to highlight the importance of going to the ballot boxes. In 2022, for the legislative elections, the league organized 15 games on the day before and none on voting day, while this year 12 games were scheduled on Monday.
Among the NBA’s efforts to encourage citizen engagement, players took to the court to warmup wearing white T-shirts with the message “Vote”. Also, the league’s official website has a manual on the process, from where to vote to how to register to do so.
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It is unusual for the NBA to take breaks from its intense schedule of more than 80 games. Typically, breaks are only taken during Thanksgiving or on Christmas and New Year’s Eve; as well as the NCAA Finals.
The league has shown a strong commitment over the past two years to highlight the importance of voting.
“If you’re going to have issues that you choose to speak about or want to see changed, it’s important to exercise your right to vote.”
– @miamiheat's Coach Spo, @D_Bo20 & @Klow7 on voting
Visit https://t.co/XZ3jtaMY9a to learn how you can #GetInTheGameVote #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/V8jYZs2OJE
— NBA Cares (@nbacares) November 7, 2023
This is a very important date for women’s rights, with states such as Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky holding elections with the issue of abortion directly on the ballot and with senatorial or legislative elections in certain states, that could bring more restrictive rules on the issue.