Officials with the Rockets, Toyota Center, and the office of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo came together Friday for a voter registration drive, held at the team’s arena in downtown Houston.
The nonpartisan event was designed to encourage registration among eligible voters for the Nov. 3 general election — headlined by the race for U.S. president and a U.S. Senate contest in Texas. Anyone eligible to vote is able to register, regardless of which county they reside in.
The registration deadline for the upcoming election is Oct. 5, and fans can text ROCKETS to 26797 to confirm their voter registration status.
Rockets team mascot Clutch the Bear was on hand for Friday’s kickoff event, and Rockets giveaways were handed out throughout the day.
We’re working hard to make voting as easy as possible, including using @ToyotaCenter as a massive vote center this year. But none of that matters if you're not registered to vote! Kicking off a voter registration drive with the @HoustonRockets! Come on down until 2pm today! pic.twitter.com/jE5oEoy7gG
— Lina Hidalgo (@LinaHidalgoTX) September 25, 2020
From Oct. 13 to Oct. 30, Toyota Center will be open to any registered voter in Harris County as an early voting hub. It’s the first time that the downtown arena has been used for that purpose. Under the team’s plan, which was announced during the NBA’s recent pause amid social justice protests, Toyota Center will be open to voters from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday through Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays.
From Oct. 27 to Oct. 30, in the final days of early voting, Toyota Center will have extended voting hours from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. Arena officials say the site will follow all U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and public health guidelines regarding social distancing, and county representatives have noted that using such a large facility for voting could make distancing easier than at typical smaller locations.
Watch live: Judge Hidalgo, Houston Rockets encourage residents to register to vote https://t.co/LSNdnPxZyH
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) September 25, 2020
The Rockets have partnered with Houston First to provide free parking at the Toyota Tundra Garage throughout the voting process.
“Voting is an extremely important right which many have fought hard for throughout the years, and we want to thank the Harris County Clerk office for allowing the Rockets and Toyota Center to offer support,” said Doug Hall, general manager of Toyota Center.
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Stop by @ToyotaCenter before 2pm today to register to vote!
🗣 @CGHollins pic.twitter.com/oqDfA0tTvf
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) September 25, 2020