Amid COVID-19 spike, Golden 1 Center to be voting site with social distancing in November
Golden 1 Center will operate as a voting center this fall, allowing people to more safely cast their ballots while physically distant during the coronavirus pandemic.
The first professional sports venue in California to announce plans to serve as a voting center, Golden 1 Center will be open for services Oct. 24 through Election Day in November. The announcement Friday comes as local and state officials prepare for elections in the midst of the accelerating COVID-19 infections.
Under the new contract, the Sacramento Kings will provide the use of the arena to the county at no cost. People headed to the vote center will be able to park for free in the Downtown West Garage.
“Access to a large, state of the art facility such as Golden 1 Center helps us ensure accessibility and proper social distancing, while also providing our residents the voting services they need,” said Sacramento County Registrar of Voters Courtney Bailey in a statement.
All registered voters in Sacramento County automatically receive mail-in ballots, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law last month ordering mail-in ballots be sent to all registered, active California voters for the November election.
Still, vote centers like the one planned at Golden 1 Center remain an important component of ensuring residents have access to services on and before Election Day.
When the Golden 1 Center is transformed into a vote center, people will be able to vote in person, drop off a completed ballot, get a new ballot to take home, register to vote, update registration, receive language assistance and use an accessible ballot marking device to vote.
“The Kings are dedicated to using our platform to encourage civic participation and engagement,” said Sacramento Kings Chief Operating Officer Matina Kolokotronis in a statement. “We are proud to provide a location in the heart of downtown with increased accessibility and opportunity to socially distance while promoting the importance of voting.”
Other NBA teams around the country have also offered arenas up for voting, including the Atlanta Hawks, the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks.
“We want people to exercise their right and we want to be a part of helping them do so,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce told National Public Radio earlier this month.
In April, the Sacramento Kings offered the empty Sleep Train Arena to the state as a field hospital in anticipation of a surge of COVID-19 patients. California paid $500,000 a month for the arena, before the Kings organization said in May it would no longer charge the state for using the vacant facility.