More Than a Vote, a nonprofit voting rights organization founded by LeBron James has signed over 10,000 volunteer poll workers. A major milestone in its effort to combat systemic, racist voter suppression.
The organization, led by James and supported by a group of other prominent Black athletes and entertainers, launched the "We Got Next" poll worker recruitment effort two weeks ago in partnership with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
More Than a Vote aims to combat voter suppression by ensuring that all eligible voters, especially disenfranchised minorities can cast their vote in the upcoming elections. The initiative is focusing specifically on staffing primarily Black electoral districts ahead of November's general elections. And so far, it has been very successful.
"We marched. We demanded change. Now, we're ensuring our voices are heard. 10,000 new poll workers," the Legal Defense Fund announced on Twitter.
This week, former President Barack Obama made a virtual appearance during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat to congratulate More Than a Vote's efforts. "I wanted to come on to give a shoutout to all the folks who are volunteering as poll workers in this upcoming election," he said. "It can be a thankless job, it's not one of those things you think about but it is absolutely vital for a democracy and I appreciate you."
Polling locations across the country are facing a potential worker shortage amid the pandemic. To combat this, More Than a Vote is calling on young, healthy volunteers to work at polling stations so older, more vulnerable poll workers do not have to put themselves at risk. Poll workers will also receive training and PPE kits that include a mask, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer, and voter information cards.
To get involved, you can check out our breakdown of what voter suppression is and visit More Than a Vote to join the effort.
Oh, and don't forget to register to vote:
