The Forum to be an L.A. County voting center as Steve Ballmer makes good on NBA’s pledge
On the day the NBA and its players association announced a push to host voting centers at NBA arenas during the upcoming election, the Clippers and Los Angeles County said the Forum in Inglewood will serve as a voting center starting in late October.
The Forum will host in-person voting and accept dropped off mail-in ballots between Oct. 24 and Nov. 3.
Dean Logan, the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder and county clerk, said in a statement that the use of the 53-year-old arena, which was purchased in May by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, as a voting facility “ensures Inglewood and the surrounding communities have a safe and positive in-person voting experience at one of L.A.’s historic landmarks.”
After a two-day stoppage of the NBA postseason following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., the league and the National Basketball Players Assn. released a joint statement Friday announcing commitments to a handful of social justice and racial equity initiatives.
A look at how the players’ walkout went from the precipice of shutting down the NBA to coming to an agreement to continue the playoffs.
One is that teams that own their arena must work with local election officials to turn the building into a voting center in time for November’s election. The Clippers are a tenant at Staples Center, their home arena since 1999, but since Ballmer’s purchase they control the Forum, which in recent years has become primarily a concert venue. The Clippers intend to build their own arena nearby in Inglewood by the start of the 2024 season.
“You have undoubtedly heard the voices of our players, coaches and staff, passionately and powerfully urging Americans to register and exercise their right to vote,” said Gillian Zucker, the Clippers’ president of business operations, in a statement. “We are dedicated to the same cause: fighting voter suppression and empowering all citizens to determine meaningful progress, for this generation and generations to come.”
The Clippers also announced they have partnered with the voter-outreach organization Woke Vote to “identity areas of L.A. County with historically disengaged voters and bring resources and voter education to neighborhoods with low voter turnout and alleviate voter suppression.” Additionally, the team said it would soon create a voter registration and education campaign called LA Voters Win.
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