Orlando, Fla. — The Orlando Magic are joining the NBA, its players and coaches in efforts to increase access to voting and will join the City of Orlando to open Amway Center as an early voting location. This has been a collaborative effort between the Magic, City of Orlando, Orange County and Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles. The facility will be open starting October 19 – November 1, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. on the north side of Amway Center at the Church Street entrance inside the Disney Atrium. All registered voters from Orange County will be able to cast their ballot at the Amway Center location, which is one of 20 early voting locations within Orange County.
In addition, on National Voter Registration Day, Amway Center will be open on September 22 for voter registration. This will also take place inside the Disney Atrium from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The deadline to register to vote is October 5 and people can visit www.registertovoteflorida.gov for more information.
The NBA recently announced that its teams, players and coaches agreed to immediately establish a social justice coalition, with representatives from players, coaches and team governors, that will be focused on a broad range of issues, including increasing access to voting, promoting civic engagement and advocating for meaningful police and criminal justice reform.
The league will work with the players and network partners to create and include advertising spots in each NBA playoff game dedicated to promoting greater civic engagement in national and local elections and raising awareness around voter access and opportunity.
In addition, the NBA has created the NBA Foundation that will contribute $300 million in initial funding focused on economic empowerment in the Black community. Over the next 10 years, the 30 NBA team owners will collectively contribute $30 million annually establishing this new, leaguewide charitable foundation. Through its mission to drive economic empowerment for Black communities through employment and career advancement, the NBA Foundation will seek to increase access and support for high school, college-aged and career-ready Black men and women, and assist national and local organizations that provide skills training, mentorship, coaching and pipeline development in NBA markets and communities across the United States and Canada.
