Tag: More Than a Vote

LeBron’s ‘More Than A Vote’ features new ad starring Dame Lillard

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and his ‘More Than A Vote’ released a new animated short to encourage people to have a plan to vote.

Even though the Los Angeles Lakers season is over and the whole team is free to leave the bubble to do whatever they please, the work for LeBron James never stops and on Thursday his “More Than A Vote” non-profit released a new animated short video starring Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.

The video follows Lillard and uses him as an example for other potential voters to have a plan to vote either before or on November 3rd. The short was written and directed by Tevin Tavares but also features Maverick Carter, Stacey Abrams, Odell Beckham Jr.. and Trae Young.

LeBron and ‘More Than A Vote’ started only earlier this year, but have made an impact on helping facilitate early voting and pushing teams to use their arenas as voting stations.

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Michael Vick one of the Florida voters helped by ‘More Than A Vote’

One of the many initiatives that have drawn more attention due to ‘More Than A Vote’ is ex-felons getting their voting rights restored.

Among the many laws and initiatives that the ‘More Than A Vote’ coalition started by LeBron James and Maverick Carter have drawn more attention to since they started it earlier this year, was a Florida law that prevents ex-felons from having the right to vote unless they go through an established protocol and pay a fine to the state. It was a law passed in 2018 called Amendment 4.

From a ‘More Than A Vote’ release back in July.

In 2018, the people of Florida overwhelmingly voted to approve the Amendment 4 ballot initiative to amend the state constitution to restore the voting rights of most citizens with past felony convictions. However, the state legislature responded by passing a law requiring returning citizens to pay off outstanding fees, fines, and restitution associated with their convictions prior to being eligible to vote.

Now ‘More Than A Vote’ is featuring their work with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, with arguably their most high-profile case, former NFL star Michael Vick. ‘More Than A Vote’ released the first episode of a web series tracking Vick and his path to getting his voting rights restored.

James is thrilled to be able to have Vick as a part of the group.

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LeBron James, ‘More Than A Vote’ launching apparel section to raise funds

The “More Than A Vote” organization started by LeBron James is creating merchandise as a way to fundraise for their cause.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will be back on the hardwood in the bubble on Tuesday night, but the work LeBron’s nonprofit organization More Than A Vote is doing for the upcoming election is only speeding up. With now just over a month towards Election Day, James and the organization he founded with Maverick Carter, as well as other personalities from the sports world, More Than A Vote is kicking things into another gear.

One way they are trying to make an impact is through merchandise sales, a tried and true method of fundraising. More Than A Vote announced a new “Fashion Hub,” where you can get everything from hats to sweatshirts and water bottles, with the proceeds going to the Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights Under Law. LeBron wore some of the collection prior to Sunday’s Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.

“We are using our influence to fight voter suppression and we have a lot of different ways to reach people,” said Los Angeles Laker Forward and More Than A Vote Member LeBron James.  “The connection between fashion and sports is very real and very powerful.  We’re excited to give our fans products that help them express themselves the same way we do.  These shirts tell your community that you’re in it with us and you are doing what you can to stop systemic racism and voter suppression.”

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‘More Than A Vote’ looks to recruit poll workers in new ad airing Thursday

The ad asking young people to help volunteer as poll workers will be narrated by CJ McCollum and Chiney Ogwumike.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers won’t take the court again until Friday night but LeBron will have a major presence on the airwaves during tonight’s Game 2 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. ‘More Than A Vote’ will release a brand new advertisement on Thursday that will also serve as a call to action for young people to volunteer as poll workers during the upcoming election.

The commercial, entitled “We Got Next,” is narrated by Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum. McCollum issued a joint statement with Chiney Ogwumike of ESPN and the WNBA as well, illustrating the importance of young people volunteering as poll workers, as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused older people, who usually make up the majority of the volunteers, bow out due to being high-risk.

“COVID has made the inadequate voting infrastructure that many Black people already deal with in a normal year an even greater challenge to overcome in 2020,” said Portland Trail Blazers Guard CJ McCollum and WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike in a joint statement for More Than A Vote. “That’s why More Than A Vote focused on converting dormant sports arenas and stadiums into voting locations and it’s why we’re now asking young people to step up and serve as poll workers in our communities. COVID understandably scared off a lot of older poll workers, but if we do our job we can fill the void with the young people who have been demanding change all summer and make sure no vote is suppressed due to long lines or confusion at the polls on Election Day.

The “We Got Next” campaign is part of a concentrated effort by “More Than A Vote” to staff polling locations with young activists, especially “at polling locations in vulnerable Black communities across the nation with a focus on Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin.”

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LeBron James narrates new video for ‘More Than A Vote’

LeBron James released a new video, narrated by him, illustrating the importance of voting in the upcoming election.

While LeBron James has his Los Angeles Lakers in phenomenal position in the NBA Playoffs, waiting for their opponent in the Western Conference Finals, he’s also busy doing work in trying to get people to remember to use their rights as citizens and vote in the upcoming elections, both nationwide and locally.

James, in partnership with ATTN, released a new PSA on Tuesday with regards to the 2020 Election. While James has been in the bubble, he has been consistently promoting “More Than A Vote” and using his platform to shine a light on the difficulties Black citizens face in trying to simply cast a vote, due to widespread voter suppression.

Among the things More Than A Vote has helped organize were getting sports teams to commit to using their empty stadiums as polling locations, as well as committing over six figures to help disenfranchised voters in Florida get their voting rights back.

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NBA announces plan to use all arenas as polling places for 2020 election

The NBA and NBPA announced plans to use arenas as polling places across the league, among other new developments.

The NBA and NBPA issued a joint statement on Friday announcing that there would be a return to play this weekend, which was contingent on the league’s owners committing to more concrete measures, particularly related to helping Black people in America. The most noteworthy part of the statement, aside from the fact that games would resume, was that the league is making an NBA-wide push to use arenas as polling places, which has been a central goal of LeBron’s ‘More Than A Vote’ non-profit, aimed at making it easier for Black people to access American democracy.

Phillips Arena in Atlanta and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles have already committed to opening as polling places, as well as arenas in Detroit and Cleveland, thanks to efforts from ‘More Than A Vote.’ However, there are some logistical and procedural issues that have been presented, in states such as Wisconsin, according to USA TODAY’s Jeff Zillgitt, preventing them from following through on the NBA’s promise to use all of their arenas as polling places.

Following the NBA and NBPA’s announcement, ‘More Than A Vote’ issued their own statement about the actions the NBA committed to on Friday.

John Lewis said democracy is not a state, it is an act. So is justice. So is equality. So is change. We stated when we launched this effort that change isn’t made by watching from the sidelines. It is made by those who march for it, who fight for it, and who vote for it. That goes for every American horrified by the persistence of racist violence and white supremacy in this country. We are not helpless to end this madness. We are not powerless in the face of prejudice. Not if we make our voices heard. For we know that the best antidote to bigotry is the ballot.

We are not politicians or policy leaders and we are not trying to be. But we are Black citizens of this country and we will not be silenced. Democracy is not a spectator sport. As citizens, we have a duty to our country. As Black Americans, we have a duty to our community. A duty to do what generations of Black Americans have done before us: push this country to live up to its founding ideals.

In that spirit, we stand ready to support the NBPA’s and NBA’s effort to convert every NBA arena possible into polling location for this fall’s election. More Than A Vote has been laser-focused on this for months — creating new opportunities in cities like Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, and Los Angeles among others —  and welcomes the comprehensive effort to provide a safe in-person voting option for our communities during this pandemic that is disproportionately killing Black people.

We know that voting will not end our pain. Voting cannot bring back those killed by the police officers sworn to protect us. Voting cannot erase the scars of slavery and segregation. It cannot change our history, but it can change our future.

If it couldn’t, those in power wouldn’t be trying so hard to take the right to vote away from us. They wouldn’t be trying so hard to erect barriers to the ballot box.

We need to build an America where Blackness doesn’t mean a bullet in our back. An America where Blackness doesn’t mean our voices are silenced, but are celebrated and respected.

Before we were athletes or artists, we were Black. Long after our careers are over, we’ll be Black. Black like Jacob Blake. Black like Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. Black like every brother and sister taken from us by racism and police brutality. Black and unable to breathe.

This is about more than a vote.

More Than A Vote makes call to action to fans before playoffs to fight Black voter suppression

The More Than A Vote non-profit started by LeBron James took time to discuss Black voter suppression.

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Monday is a glorious day for sports fans and particularly, NBA fans, as the league starts the first round of the NBA playoffs later this afternoon down in the Disney World bubble. But with a day that sports fans have been waiting for for a long time, also comes attention. And with that in mind, LeBron’s ‘More Than A Vote’ nonprofit, created to fight suppression of Black voters in the United States ahead of the 2020 general election, wrote a call to action for their fans to help beware of the voter suppression that has long limited the potential impact of Black voters on ESPN’s The Undefeated.

The most important thing you all need to know is Black voters matter more than ever. The biggest cities in the most critical states in this election have incredible, vibrant Black communities. Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Miami, Milwaukee, Atlanta. Not surprisingly, because these Black voters have so much influence, they will be more aggressively targeted by forces of suppression. Many in power who oppose our fight for change believe it is easier to cancel one of our votes than to find a new vote of their own. You need to know this and understand how it works.

One critical and immediate threat to our vote is COVID. Black communities are overwhelmingly more vulnerable than white communities. In counties where Black people are the majority, death rates are 3.5 times higher than the national average. Our voting locations must offer safe, socially distanced voting. If we don’t address this now, no joke, many Black people will be forced to put their health at risk just to cast a ballot.

“More Than A Vote” has worked on crucial initiatives to get out the vote, including getting teams in both the NBA and MLB to use their sports stadiums as polling places across the country.

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LeBron’s ‘More Than a Vote’ partnering with L.A. Dodgers to use stadium as polling place

LeBron James’ voting rights advocacy non-profit is partnering with the baseball team to use Dodger Stadium as a polling place, per ESPN.

LeBron James and his ‘More Than a Vote’ voting rights advocacy non-profit has partnered with the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball to use their iconic Dodger Stadium as a polling place for the upcoming 2020 Election in November, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. It’s the first time that a Major League Baseball stadium will be used as a polling place, joining three other NBA arenas as polling places.

‘More Than a Vote,’ which was started by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, and has also been joined by several other athletes and celebrities, have centered repurposing currently empty sports stadiums as polling places in various states.

The State Farm Arena in Atlanta, the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit and the Fiserv Forum in Wisconsin are some of the NBA arenas where ‘More Than a Vote’ is organizing polling places. ‘More Than a Vote’ was created to help combat voter suppression across the country, especially in the Black community.

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LeBron James’ ‘More Than a Vote’ to help ex-felons in Florida vote

LeBron James’ new nonprofit is trying to help ex-felons have their voting rights restored by paying down legal fines and fees.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and his new ‘More Than a Vote’ nonprofit geared towards helping disenfranchised voters have more access to American democracy is already making an impact in a swing state, where LeBron and the Lakers are hoping to stay for the next three months as they chase a championship.

POLITICO reported on Friday that LeBron’s ‘More Than a Vote’ will be donating $100,000 to the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which is dedicated to helping ex-felons register to vote. Florida has been a notoriously terrible state when it comes to voter suppression have recently added even more obstacles to people who were in prison to vote, making felons pay outstanding fines in order to be able to vote. Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem, a lifelong Floridian, who is part of ‘More Than a Vote,” made a statement about how these laws affect people, particularly Black and Hispanic citizens.

“Your right to vote shouldn’t depend upon whether or not you can pay to exercise it,” Miami Heat forward and More than a Vote member Udonis Haslem said in a written statement.

In addition to this latest effort in Florida, James has also been vocal in having sports teams offer their stadiums as polling places for the coming elections in the fall.

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LeBron’s ‘More Than a Vote’ pushing for arenas to be voting sites

After the success of big venues in Kentucky, LeBron’s ‘More Than a Vote’ is pushing for NBA teams to use their arenas as polling places.

With the help of a couple of NBA coaches, as well as the Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, LeBron James is pushing for NBA arenas to be used as polling places for the coming 2020 election later this fall.

In a story written by the Associated Press, Benson is another addition to the team, in addition to Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, former New York Knicks coach David Fizdale, and the Milwaukee Bucks organization. The group also has designs on pushing the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to be a polling place, as well as the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The Hawks announced their arena would serve as a polling place earlier this week.

Wisconsin and Michigan are both expected to be potential swing states in the upcoming presidential election. James’ ‘More Than a Vote’ nonprofit group is focused on fighting voter suppression against Black citizens, as well as focusing on increasing the general turnout and enthusiasm in voting.

James has been vocal in his displeasure of long voting lines in Black neighborhoods during both the Georgia and Kentucky state primaries.

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