More than 100 concert venues could become polling places this fall, including some in Detroit.
Live Nation announced Wednesday (September 16) that the company aims to encourage civic engagement by repurposing some of its currently-unused venues to help citizens access voting, according to a Live Nation press release.
Live Nation will also give employees paid time off to vote and incentives to volunteer as poll workers, among other efforts.
“Core to what we do at Live Nation is helping amplify voices on stage around the world, and supporting voting is another important way we want to continue making voices heard,” President and CEO Michael Rapino said in the release. “We’re honored to work with such incredible partners and will do everything in our power to support and empower voter engagement among our employees and the public.”
So far, venues that are set in stone to serve as polling places are the Welters and Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, Emo’s in Austin and the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta. Live Nation is working with local officials to determine others.
Live Nation operates the Fillmore and St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit.
This initiative to repurpose entertainment venues comes six months after Live Nation opted to suspend concerts because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Metro Times noted.
Live Nation is partnering with a few organizations to aid in its efforts: More Than A Vote, a nonprofit comprised of Black athletes and artists aiming to educate youth; Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition that supports safe and accessible elections; Power The Polls, which recruits poll workers; and HeadCount, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works to “amplify artist voices to inspire fans to register to vote,” the release states.
“By converting their concert venues into voting locations, Live Nation is creating a safe and convenient way for people to exercise their right to vote this fall,” said Michael Tyler, EVP of Public Affairs More Than A Vote, one of the organizations Live Nation is partnering with to support voting efforts. “Similar to the sports arenas More Than A Vote has worked to convert into voting locations, many of Live Nation’s venues are located in the heart of the communities that we are committed to empowering in this election and offer the same COVID protections due to their large capacity.”
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