ORLANDO, Fla. — The Amway Center will serve as an early voting location for registered voters in Orange County from October 19 through November 1, the Orlando Magic and the City of Orlando announced Wednesday.

The Magic have stepped up efforts to increase access to voting as the National Basketball Association (NBA) and its players committed to taking real action to promote social justice and civic engagement. They formed a coalition to put words into action, including working with local officials to turn arenas into voting locations.

“Voting is one of the most important things that we can do to enact change in our communities,” Magic Chief Executive Officer Alex Martins said.

Unlike in some other NBA cities, the Orlando Magic doesn’t own the arena. The city owns it, so this was a community collaboration.

“We want to make sure that every eligible voter in Orange County has the opportunity to vote and to vote safely,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said.

Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles said the Amway will also serve as a site for Orange County voters to drop off their vote-by-mail ballot. The building will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time during the early-voting period. COVID-19 precautions, including social distancing, will be in place inside for early voters. 

On September 22, the Amway Center will open for National Voter Registration Day for Orange County residents to register to vote from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET inside the Disney Atrium.