Voting Super Centers for 2020

State Farm Arena, home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks Basketball Team, in Atlanta, GA.

Many of the Biggest Voting Centers will be housed in: Professional Sports Arenas and Stadiums; Convention Centers; and Major Hotels, Capable of Hosting Tens of Thousands of Voters, with Multiple Entrances, Safely during a Pandemic.

Use of the Facilities represents an unprecedented Expansion of a Vote-Center Model that allows Local Residents from Any Precinct to Cast a Ballot- in-Person at a Single Location.

"We will be able to accommodate more voters at a quicker pace," said Alice Miller, Executive Director of the D.C. Board of Elections. "There will be more machines -- and more space."

The District of Columbia is Launching Five Voting Super-Centers ahead of Election Day, including Capitol One Arena, which is Home to: the NBA's Washington Wizards; WNBA's Mystics; and NHL's Capitals.

The Venues, typically packed with Fans for Sporting Events and Live Concerts, have Largely been Empty because of COVID-19.

"Those arenas, they're often the biggest, they're the most visible and they're common knowledge, if you will, to the voting public," said Amber McReynolds, CEO of the National Vote At Home Institute, a Nonpartisan Voter Advocacy Group that is Co-Sponsoring an effort to Open more Voting Megaplexes Nationwide. "Offering that option in a place that they understand, know that's community orientated, and then also has giant space where you can actually do adequate social distancing is frankly critical at this point," McReynolds said.

The Facilities, which have been designed with Crowd Control in mind, offer Built-in-Efficiency for Poll Workers, who are in short supply in many Cities because of Health Concerns. Many Pro-Sports Organizations have offered up their Own Staffs and Arena Workers as Volunteers to Run the Polling Locations.

Last month, the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL, announced a Joint Campaign to Boost In-Person-Voting, in tandem with McReynolds' Organization, the Elections Super Centers Project and Silver Linings Group. This Project includes: Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center in New York City, New York; Ford Field and Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan; Dodger Stadium and the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California; Gila River Arena in Phoenix, Arizona; Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida; and Nationals Stadium in Washington, D.C., are among the Participating Venues.

The Location of the Arenas and Stadiums in Urban areas where Public Transportation and Parking Options are abundant is also potentially enticing to Reluctant Voters who might otherwise stay Home, Advocates said. "It's actually good business," said Tony Ressler, Owner of the Atlanta Hawks, the First Professional Team to Open its 700,000-square-foot State Farm Arena as a Voting Super Center for an Election. "Please understand: our fans -- the overwhelming majority of our fan base -- are so excited that we took this on, Democrat or Republican," Ressler said.

Hundreds of Voters took Advantage of the State Farm Arena Polling Location during Georgia's Primary Election in June. Officials expect a Significant Increase in Turnout, starting next month, for the Start of Early In-Person Voting. "We're gonna move to 60 processing stations and 300 voting machines to give you a sense," said Ressler. "So it's going to be a much more substantial effort, much larger, and frankly with many, many more voters. Anyone in Fulton County, any registered voter in Fulton County, will be able to come to our facility to vote."

Local Election Officials have been Stockpiling Voting Equipment, Signage, Hand Sanitizer, and Personal Protective Equipment in Preparation of getting the Super Centers Up and Running. The First Early In-Person Ballots of the 2020 Election will be Cast this week in Minnesota with other States soon to follow. "Behind every voter we will wipe up," said Miller, who has been Overseeing D.C.'s Acquisition of Palettes of Purell and Tens of Thousands of Clorox Wipes for Distribution to Voting Sites.

Voters will be Guided in a One-Directional Flow, said D.C. Board of Elections Chairman, Michael Bennett. "Once they voted, they will come further down the corridor and put their ballot in a tabulating machine, get their voter sticker and they can exit," he said.

Underpinning the Nationwide Push toward Highly Accessible Voting Super Centers has been the Engagement of Professional Athletes from the NBA to the NFL. "Our players are incredibly motivated to encourage people to use their voice and vote," said Monica Dixon, an Executive with Monumental Sports, which Owns the Washington Wizards, Mystics, and Capitals. "They have been pushing for us as a company and our employees to get engaged."

Players across the NFL, NHL, and MLB, have lent their Voices to the Campaign for Voter Engagement and Polling Place Accessibility. "We know that not everybody is going to vote at home. We know that some people need to register to vote on Election Day and they haven't gotten their ballot yet. So you have to have a really good in-person voting structure to make that work effectively," said McReynolds.










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