The San Francisco 49ers announced Tuesday a multilateral partnership to use Levi’s Stadium as a temporary voting center for the November 3rd election. In hopes to drive voter turnout and awareness, the 49ers have joined with California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, founding partners Levi’s, as well as others to ensure local residents a safe and accessible location to participate in early voting, vote on election day, or drop off their ballots.
Beginning October 31st from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and through election day on November 3rd from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., any resident of Santa Clara County can vote in person or deposit their ballot at The SAP Tower Atrium within Levi’s Stadium. Free parking is available at the Great America parking lot adjacent to the stadium. Levi’s Stadium, which was previously used as a voting center for the California primary in March, will be one of the 100 voting centers and 98 drop boxes in Santa Clara County.
"Our partnership with Levi's Stadium and the 49ers is another touchdown for democracy this year," Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. "The addition of voting venues that allow for social distancing are critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to be inspired by sports venues opening their doors for new and safe voting options this year and hope it inspires other teams to follow suit as the clock runs down on the November General Election.”
Similar voting centers are being established outside Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, and at the Oakland Coliseum, with San Francisco's opening on October 5, four weeks before election day.
The 49ers are following up on the social justice aspect of their preseason commitment to The Faithful and their community. Just last month, in honor of the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the 49ers joined the NFL in launching NFL Votes, a “league-wide initiative that is intended to include, support, and encourage the voting and civic engagement efforts of NFL fans, players, club and league personnel, and NFL Legends from now to Election Day.” 49ers players have also met with members of the Silicon Valley NAACP as the latest installment of their Subject to Change video series to discuss voting rights as part of an attempt to address social injustice.
This commitment to the Niner community doesn’t just stop with the fans, but extends to 49ers employees as well. The club has made November 3rd a paid off day to assist employee voter participation and create volunteer opportunities for its workers.
“While 2020 has been a challenging year on so many fronts, I am sincerely encouraged by the increased dialogue and action amongst our staff that I have seen as a result of these trying times,” said Jed York, San Francisco 49ers CEO. “We want to do all we can to empower the community and our employees to make their voices heard at the ballot box and we thank our partners on this initiative and the NFL for prioritizing this message nationwide.”
Dedicating Levi’s Stadium to serve as a voting center helps build on a number of initiatives that Levi Strauss and Co. has made to bring more people to the polls as well as build excitement around voting.
“Democracy only works when people vote. And that means we have a duty not only to vote ourselves, but to help others exercise their civil rights, as well,” said Chip Bergh, Levi Strauss & Co. President & Chief Executive Officer. “I’m thankful to partner with such a community-centric organization in the San Francisco 49ers, and I’m proud that Levi’s Stadium will be activated as a polling center in the upcoming election. This November, thousands more Bay Area citizens will be able to have their voices heard.”
At the beginning of the season, the San Francisco 49ers launched a new campaign, “Faithful to the Bay”, to celebrate the steadfast loyalty of their fans as well as make a commitment to the communities that have supported the franchise. On Tuesday, the Niners doubled down.
