LeBron James' More Than A Vote has partnered with the Georgia NAACP, NBA and the NBA Players Association to combat voter suppression during the 2021 NBA All-Star Weekend. The campaign will attempt to stop the state from enacting suppressive voting laws that would “require more ID for absentee ballots, limit weekend early voting days, curb the use of ballot drop boxes, eliminate no-excuse mail-in voting and restrict mass-voting sites such as arenas."
"We’re teaming up with the NBA, the NBA Players Association, Georgia NAACP to take on voter suppression during NBA All-Star weekend in Atlanta," More Than A Vote wrote.
”We all need to continue to use our platform. This last election won’t change anything if we don’t keep working," James added.
This is far from LeBron James first attempt to fight voter suppression. During the most recent presidential election, he partnered with Jalen Rose, Draymond Green, Maya Moore and several others to launch the aforementioned voter rights group, More Than A Vote. Within two months, the organization recruited more than 10,000 poll workers to work on election day. More Than A Vote also partnered with Michelle Obama's nonprofit, When We All Vote, to encourage voting across the country. Not to mention, James' organization partnered with Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to pay off various fines and fees to help formerly incarcerated people vote in Florida. This weekend's campaign is an extension of the work that kicked off during the latest election cycle.
“The attacks on voting rights in Georgia are egregious, but they’re just one example of what is a nationwide effort to strip Black voters of our power,” Addisu Demissie of More Than A Vote said.
“Given that we’ll have a national audience tuning in to watch the All-Star Game this weekend in Atlanta, we have a unique opportunity to work together with our partners to shine a spotlight on these voter suppression efforts that target the league’s most loyal fan base and provide fans with the tools they need to fight back.”
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