NBA schedules no games on election day to encourage fans to vote

The NBA schedule has been released with no games taking place on Tuesday 8th November in order to encourage fans to vote in the midterm elections.

All 30 teams will play on Monday 7th November with the league hoping that the move will encourage fans to vote and also give players the opportunity to call on fans to vote when they attend games the night before the election. The league said, “The scheduling decision came out of the NBA family’s focus on promoting nonpartisan civic engagement and encouraging fans to make a plan to vote during midterm elections.”

All 435 House seats will be decided with more than 30 Senate seats also up for grabs which could have substantial ramifications in the years to come as there is currently a 50-50 split between the Republicans and Democrats.

This is a first for the NBA but players have previously been heavily involved in calling on fans to vote and some teams have previously allowed their stadiums to be used as registration or voting centres.