TOPLINE
Dozens of prominent Black athletes and artists from the More Than A Vote coalition, including NBA superstar LeBron James and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, published a signed letter Monday stating they are focused on combating “systemic, targeted voter suppression in our community” ahead of the upcoming 2020 presidential election, and are uniting around a “specific mission: educate, energize and protect Black voters.”
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers takes to the court prior to the game against the LA ... [+]
KEY FACTS
The letter is addressed to fans of every age, race and gender, and the More Than a Vote group declares it will not be partisan, explaining “our organization is not here to tell you who to vote for.”
The coalition details why it is essential to address voter suppression head-on, especially with the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately impacting communities of color (Black Americans are infected with the coronavirus at a rate three times that of whites and they are twice as likely to die from Covid-19).
“Black voters matter more than ever,” the letter reads, “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.”
During the 2016 presidential election, Black voter turnout rate declined for the first time in 20 years, while white turnout increased (yet, during the 2018 midterm elections, Black voter turnout saw a sizable jump to 51.4%, up 10.8 percentage points compared to 2014).
In an effort to ensure that voting locations allow for adequate social distancing, More Than A Vote is working is attempting to convert as many arenas and sports facilities as possible into voting precincts.
More Than A Vote also intends to combat voter suppression resulting directly from the systemic abuse of political power, which aims to make voting more difficult for specific segments of the population (as highlighted by the underfunding the U.S. Postal Service).
Crucial Quote:
“We saw you in the streets. We saw your social media posts. Your voices are breaking through, but it’s now time to do more,” the letter reads. “We know you have the ability to organize. So join us and take your protest to the election and fight to keep our community from being silenced.”
Key Background:
The More Than a Vote campaign was started earlier this year amid nationwide protests against police brutality and social injustice following the death of George Floyd. “All of us were angry, which we still are, and wanted to do something with real impact right now,’ said LeBron James. “We didn’t want to talk about it. We organized around voter suppression in our community because it’s very real and if we want actual change, it’s going to start by educating, energizing and protecting Black voters in 2020.” In July, More Than A Vote partnered with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and donated $100,000 to help pay fines and fees so that ex-felons can vote in Florida. Two NBA franchises (the Pistons and Hawks) announced this summer that they would provide their facilities as a satellite center for the Nov. 3 election. Last week, the Los Angeles Dodgers teamed up with LeBron to announce they are converting Dodger Stadium into a polling site for the 2020 presidential election. In addition to maintaining that “voting is the most important thing you can do,” the coalition adds that “it’s also not enough… especially not in 2020” and recommends volunteering time and money to an organization mobilizing for this fight.
Tangent:
The other 47 founding members of More Than Vote, all of whom signed the letter, are Emmanuel Acho, Ray Allen, Jozy Altidore, Tim Anderson, Mo Bamba, Odell Beckham Jr., Eric Bledsoe, Toni Braxton, Bun B, Caron Butler, Carlton Davis, Skylar Diggins, Jeremy Ebobisse, Mike Evans, Draymond Green, Brittney Griner, Kevin Hart, Udonis Haslem, Andrew Hawkins, Jason Heyward, DeAndre Hopkins, Alvin Kamara, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, CJ McCollum, Renee Montgomery, Justin Morrow, Arike Ogunbowale, Dare Ogunbowale, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeff Okudah, Kendrick Perkins, David Price, Jalen Rose, CC Sabathia, Ben Simmons, Sloane Stephens, Marcus Stroman, Maria Taylor, Kristi Toliver, Michael Vick, Bobby Wagner, A’ja Wilson and Trae Young.
Further Reading:
More NBA Players—Including Michael Jordan And Lebron James—Speak Out Loudly Against Police Brutality (Forbes)
More Than A Vote: A letter to fans to fight Black voter suppression (The Undefeated)
