Bay Area sports arenas to convert into voting centers, ballot drop off locations
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- As part of a nationwide effort to make voting safer during the novel coronavirus pandemic, sports arenas across the country are stepping up to help.
In several major U.S. cities across at least 14 states, well-known sports arenas or convention centers are transforming into vote "super centers."
Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara county is one of many on the list, which also includes Golden 1 Center in Sacramento and Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Bay Area's SAP Center and Oakland Coliseum will also be used as ballot drop-off locations.
"It was all the sports arenas that were like, we have space - use it!" Evelyn Mendez with the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters office told ABC7 News.
In California, every single registered voter will be sent a mail-in-ballot this year, but for people who choose to vote in person, the pandemic has made finding voting spaces trickier. Large spaces like sports arenas allow for social distancing (especially if there are lines on Election Day), for storage of PPE and for separate entrances and exits. They're also recognizable and memorable locations within the community.
https://abc7news.com/levi-stadium-sap-center-oakland-coliseum-2020-election/6508154/
