Pittsburgh Penguins Team Up with Pennsylvania Department of State and Allegheny County on Voting Initiatives
Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar today announced a championship collaboration among the Department of State, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Allegheny County, in a spirited initiative to boost voter participation and assist election administration for the November election.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are the first NHL team in the country to announce such a collaboration. Additional Pennsylvania professional teams and athletes are expected to join similar collaborations soon.
“Pennsylvania is home to outstanding professional teams and athletes, and regardless of what team you root for, we can all agree that voting is a fundamental right of every fan,” said Secretary Boockvar. “The Department of State is excited to work with the Penguins to get the puck to the net and strengthen secure and accessible voting options in November.”
The collaboration announced today has been inspired by the national campaigns led by More Than a Vote, which aims to expand voting rights and is driven by inspirational professional athletes such as LeBron James.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins are proud to join in supporting this initiative to help increase voter participation and expand opportunities for voting,” said Ron Burkle, co-owner of the Penguins. “We appreciate Governor Wolf, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Secretary Kathy Boockvar for bringing us all together to help secure our most cherished American freedom of the right to vote.”
The Pittsburgh Penguins are working in conjunction with Allegheny County and the Department of State to explore initiatives such as volunteering as and helping to recruit poll workers, educating the public about voting, and sponsoring get-out-the-vote campaigns.
“As an athlete born and raised in Western Pennsylvania, I’m thrilled to see a hometown sports franchise step up in partnership with government leaders to ensure that everyone can safely vote during the ongoing public health crisis,” said Andrew Hawkins, More Than A Vote member, former NFL wide receiver and Johnstown native. “Their willingness to encourage employees to serve as poll workers will address one of the greatest challenges we face as a democracy this year. These are the types of innovative solutions that will pay dividends in the form of high voter turnout in Allegheny County this fall. We look forward to seeing similar partnerships throughout the Keystone State in the coming weeks.”
The Penguins also announced they will be providing a company-wide paid day off on election day to encourage all staff members to vote, volunteer as poll workers, and advocate for civic engagement.
“We are delighted to partner with the Penguins for such an important initiative,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. “Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, and it’s absolutely imperative that we have the resources, including personnel, to be able to administer our elections. We’re hopeful that this effort by the Penguins catches on and that we see even more businesses and organizations in our community offer their employees the ability to participate more fully in this democratic process.”
To learn more about voting in Pennsylvania and to apply for a mail-in ballot for the November 3 election, visit votesPA.com.