LeBron James' voting rights group takes aim at pivotal Georgia Senate runoffs
LeBron James said this week that his voting rights organization, More Than A Vote, will get involved with the Georgia Senate runoffs that will take place on January 5. James said his organization, which worked to recruit poll workers and provide early voting sites during the 2020 election, was "never about a one-off" in an interview on the UNINTERRUPTED podcast released Tuesday.
"We're trying to figure out ways, right now, that we can continue to implement change in the communities, not only in my home community of Akron, Ohio, but communities all over America, and hopefully, create change in the world, as well," James said. "So we're looking for opportunities — there's a huge Senate race in that's going on in Georgia coming up in January, so we're tackling that."
In one race, GOP Senator Kelly Loeffler is facing off against Democrat Reverend Raphael Warnock; the other pits GOP Senator David Perdue against Democrat Jon Ossoff. The runoffs will ultimately decide whether Republicans or Democrats will control the majority in the Senate. Democrats need to win both races to secure a 50-50 split, which would mean that Vice President Kamala Harris would break any ties.
During the presidential election, the NBA superstar's group said it recruited more than 42,000 poll workers around the country and helped nearly 300,000 people vote at arenas. James said the job isn't over, as voters in Georgia decide on the pivotal seats next month.
James praised former Georgia House minority leader Stacey Abrams, who, along with her New Georgia Project, is largely credited with helping register 800,000 new voters in the state, mostly in communities of color.
"Stacey Abrams who is down there, is a monster," he said. "Shoutout Stacey, you're unbelievable."
He also commended the efforts to get out the vote in Atlanta and Georgia during the general election, which helped turn the historically red state blue.
"We're gonna get behind that and hopefully create change," he said.
More Than A Vote worked with the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena to have the facility available as an early voting site during the weeks leading up to the presidential election and on Election Day. According to a tweet from the organization, State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United play, will be open for registered voters of Fulton County for early voting on select dates in December.
Led by James and other Black athletes and entertainers, More Than a Vote has worked to fight "systemic, targeted voter suppression" after the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. With the NBA season only a few weeks away, ESPN reported Wednesday that James signed a 2-year, $85 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. The reported deal ends in 2022-2023, which would give him 20 seasons in the league.