Toyota Center opens as voting site in Houston for 2020 U.S. elections

As of Tuesday, the Houston Rockets’ downtown arena (Toyota Center) is now open as a voting site for the 2020 U.S. general election.

As of Tuesday, the Houston Rockets’ downtown arena (Toyota Center) is officially open as a voting site for the 2020 U.S. general election.

From Oct. 13 to Oct. 30, Toyota Center can be used by any registered voter in Harris County for the first time. Under the team’s plan, which was announced during the NBA’s August pause amid social justice protests, Toyota Center will be open to voters from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time 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.

Toyota Center will also be open as a voting site on the official Election Day of Nov. 3. Marquee races on the ballot in Houston include the race for U.S. president, as well as one of two U.S. Senate slots from Texas.

The Rockets are partnering with Houston First to provide free parking at the Toyota Tundra Garage throughout the voting process.

[lawrence-related id=37001,38698]