Angelenos can add the Staples Center to the list of local sporting venues that will serve as voting centers for the upcoming election.
The L.A. Lakers, L.A. County Registrar and AEG, the company that owns the downtown L.A. arena, announced the move in a joint statement Saturday, a day after the NBA agreed to allow the teams’ home facilities to be used as voting sites following a players’ strike during the playoffs.
The athletes in recent weeks have been using their platforms to push for reform, including wearing jerseys with social justice messages and demanding justice for the police killing of Breonna Taylor during postgame interviews.
Before the Lakers’ announcement on Saturday, L.A. Clippers owner Steve Balmer, who bought the Forum in Inglewood earlier this year, had already agreed to turn the team’s new home arena as a voting center starting Oct. 24.
Earlier in August, the Dodgers Stadium announced that it would host a polling place — a collaboration with LeBron James’ More Than A Vote coalition.
Voters can cast their ballots at Staples Center starting Oct. 30 through Election Day on Nov. 3. People can also submit their mail ballots at an official vote-by-mail dropbox location at the arena.
In the joint statement, Secretary of State Alex Padilla said large venues like the Staples Center can serve as a safe voting option during the COVID-19 pandemic.
L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis also said, “As the players of the Lakers and the NBA as a whole have shown, now is the time to be active in voicing our values for real change.”
L.A. County residents can register to vote or check their registration status on the registrar’s website.
All registered voters in California can expect to receive mail ballots, which will be mailed starting Oct. 5. They can sign up for updates on the status of their ballots from the state at california.ballottrax.net/voter.
