The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections approved an Atlanta Hawks plan to transform State Farm Arena into a mass voting center for Georgia’s second-round primary election on August 11, as well as early voting for the election. general scheduled for November 3.
The idea came up over the weekend after George Floyd’s murder, when the protesters ‘focal point in Atlanta was just outside the Hawks’ arena. Conversations between Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce, franchise CEO Steve Koonin, and majority owner Antony Ressler were quickly merged with the idea of turning the pitch into a polling place.
“We were casually brainstorming as our entire world revolved around what we can do internally as an organization,” Pierce said. “We were trying to figure out how we can take care of the house first, and [Koonin] launched the idea. “
After taking two weeks to examine the facility’s ability to organize early voting and on Election Day, both summer and fall, the Hawks brought the idea to the Fulton County Commission, which provides funding for the board. county registry and elections.
“It took me about a nanosecond to understand what a great thing it would be for us here in Fulton County in the next election, given the challenges we had,” said Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts.
Polling places in the Atlanta metropolitan area, particularly in predominantly African-American precincts, were beset by logistical problems during the June 9 primary election. Watching Georgians endure several-hour waits to vote assured the Hawks that their plan could bring effectiveness to a system it lacked
“Making State Farm Arena the safest, most efficient and largest polling place in Georgia, and perhaps the country, we thought was a really cool idea that helps Atlanta be a model for a great voting experience instead of what she hasn’t been, we say, has been a model recently, “Pitts said.
Neither the Hawks nor Fulton County could offer a specific target for the number of voting machines they planned to host at State Farm Arena, although the Hawks said the expectation was several hundred. The 680,000-square-foot interior building includes a practice floor, multiple clubs, and dozens of suites, all of which can accommodate voters.
Much of that square amount will be used to explain the coronavirus. Voting machines that generally could be arranged just a few inches from each other will be set up at least six feet apart. The lines for voting on the playing field will begin at the front doors of the main hall and will descend the corridors of the lower bowl to the floor, and voters will follow the practices of social distancing. Given the size of the arena, many ancillary functions required on Election Day, such as tabulating absentee ballots, will also be performed on site.
Ressler offered as an ironic suggestion that if the Hawks really wanted to maximize participation in the State Farm Arena location, the team would host an open court practice as voters entered the building and cast their votes. He was politely told that such a setup was not practical. However, he anticipates that the Hawks players will be active in the effort to get the vote out in Fulton County.
The Hawks have volunteered to cover the costs of the voting facility, including compensation for 300 State Farm Arena employees full-time and several hundred working part-time. Vehicles with voters will not be charged for parking.
In addition to Election Day, State Farm Arena will also serve as one of the 19 polling places that will offer early voting for a period of 19 days before Election Day, both in the second round and in the general election.
“Adam Silver says the arenas should be town halls or public squares for the city they serve,” said Koonin. “This was one of those obvious ideas that you asked, ‘Why hasn’t anyone done it before?'”
Pierce, who has played a leading role on the National Basketball Coaches Association committee on racial injustice and reform, plans to discuss the initiative in the weekly NBA head coaches call.
“The focal point tonight is what coaches can do in Orlando to keep this conversation alive and use our voice and our platform on the unit,” Pierce said. “But being able to reach out to the group and show them this initiative really wasn’t difficult to process. We contacted the county and they were on board. The next thing you know is that we are the first city to have a polling place arena. So I really want to encourage the other 28 coaches. “
Pierce added that while 29th coach Nick Nurse of Toronto cannot help develop a polling place at Scotiabank Arena, he has been helpful in encouraging American expats in Canada to complete voter registration and obtain ballots at absence.
“When we saw what we saw on June 9, it was extremely clear that we have a real problem in the state of Georgia and especially here in Atlanta,” Pierce said. “And we felt we had an opportunity to do something special. It was encouraging that we were able to think outside the box and express this idea.”
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