The Arizona Coyotes are looking to do their part in creating positive change in their community.
The team announced Thursday that it is working with the City of Glendale to make Gila River Arena a polling station for the 2020 U.S. election in November.
A 2019 watchdog report found that Arizona has lost 320 voting sites over the last seven years, since the U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down parts of the Voting Rights Act.
The report said the closures could disproportionately disenfranchise voters of colour when combined with other voter-suppression tactics.
“We condemn racism, bigotry, violence and prejudice and embrace our responsibility to all communities of colour to not stay silent,” said a statement from the team.
Earlier this month, teams across the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL — including the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals — announced they would open the doors to their arenas as supplemental voting and registration centres to help Americans vote “safely and securely” amid COVID-19.
