HARRISBURG, Pa. — Members of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Penn State Nittany Lions are teaming up to urge Pennsylvanians to vote by mail in the Nov. 3 general election in a new video ad that debuted Friday.
The 30-second ad features Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, Penn State coach James Franklin, Eagles running back Miles Sanders, 76ers forward Kyle O’Quinn and NFL Hall of Fame members and Steelers alumni Jerome Bettis and Mel Blount.
The ad is part of a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of State designed to encourage civic engagement.
“As the ad says, ‘Democracy is a team sport.’ We appreciate players and coaches from the commonwealth’s premier teams coming together to promote participation in the Nov. 3 election,” Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said. “Pennsylvanians have more voting options than ever before – they can vote by mail; in a few weeks after ballots are printed, they can vote early in-person at their county election offices; and, of course, they can vote at the polls on election day. Now it’s up to voters to cross the goal line by casting their ballot any one of these three secure ways.”
In the ad, the athletes and coaches explain that mail-in voting is safe, easy and secure; voted ballots may be submitted in person or by mail; and voters can get updates on their ballot’s status if they provide an email address on their ballot application.
The ad also includes a brief appearance by Swoop, the Eagles’ mascot, and information on voting at the polls on election day.
In recent weeks, the Department of State has announced partnerships with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia 76ers to boost civic engagement, recruit poll workers and educate the public about voting through public events, public service announcements and web pages.
These partnerships are 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.
To learn more about voting in Pennsylvania and to apply for a mail-in ballot for the November 3 election, visit votesPA.com.
SOURCE: Pennsylvania Department of State
