Capital One Arena Opens to DC Voters

Capital One Arena will open as an Early Vote Location and Election Day Super Center as part of the The District of Columbia Board of Elections’ (DCBOE) “Vote Safe DC” campaign.

• As part of this campaign, DCBOE will set up voting stations within Capital One Arena’s concourse to check in voters, accept paper ballots and provide touch-screen electronic ballots.
• District of Columbia residents will have the opportunity to register in-person and cast their ballot the same day. 
• Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) will enlist its own staff to serve as poll workers.

Big Picture: The Capital One Arena is one of many NBA facilities across the country to open as a voting location in an effort to increase access to voting. 

• Converting their home courts into polling places was a primary goal of the social justice coalition formed by the league’s players. 

Why it matters: Providing additional voting sites and expanding access to safe locations addresses new barriers to voting brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Socially distant spacing options to vote, register or drop off a ballot will help DC voters feel more confident about:

• Safety and health concerns related to crowded spaces
• Potentially longer lines at the ballots due to COVID protocols and restrictions
• Time constraints and increased strain on the schedules of working parents

“Now more than ever, we all have a responsibility to ensure each and every voice is heard and accounted for in our upcoming election,” said Andy Navarrete, Capital One’s Executive Vice President of External Affairs. “At Capital One, we are honored by the opportunity to make the electoral process more accessible for voters in Washington D.C.”

^{Navarrete (left) joins Wizards' guard Bradley Beal (second from left) and representatives from the DCBOE and MSE to announce Capital One Arena as a voting center.}

Voters can also drop off mail-in ballots at the “Drop, Don’t Stop” drop-off boxes at Capital One Arena during the days for Early Voting and on Election Day. 

“Our constant mission is creating the best opportunity for voter participation,” said Michael Bennett, Chair of the DCBOE. “Use of the Capital One Arena takes that mission to a higher level.”

Capital One is committed to ensuring all eligible associates have the opportunity to make their voices heard by participating in the electoral process through:

• Providing voting leave time to participate in the 2020 presidential election
• Expanding our own internal communication efforts to ensure our associates have information on how, when and where to vote directly at their fingertips.

We’ve affirmed our civic engagement through our partnerships with Civic Alliance, Employee Voter Registration Week and Time to Vote.

“We view these actions not as something we can offer, but as a responsibility we have as your neighbors, colleagues and fellow citizens to ensure each and every vote is counted,” Navarrete said. “As an organization, we believe nothing is more powerful than the progress which comes from our freedom to express ideas, exercise discourse and choose our own leadership to guide our communities and this great nation forward.”

For more information about the “Vote Safe DC” campaign, visit DCBOE’s website.