Suns’ Johnson aids vote effort
Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson sees this Nov. 3 as a historic day in America with “real-life” ramifications.
“This is an election we’ll look back on for years and years to come and see what direction we took to go as a country,” he said. “There are two distinct directions and one of them definitely promotes positive change and social justice and equality as a people overall. I think that’s where everybody’s vote will really come into play. Speaking up for people who have been oppressed. People who have been held down for centuries. Our people.”
With calls for social justice and racial equality reaching levels not seen in more than 50 years, the Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, in partnership with Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, have come together to create public service announcements to encourage voting for the Nov. 3 election.
“I just encourage as many people to vote to start that wheel rolling in the right direction,” Johnson continued. “We’ve had so much unrest, so much disturbance in our society in the past five months. It’s a shame that it took all this for it to really boil up to the forefront, but it’s been in our country since
the beginning of time.”
The first PSA was released Tuesday afternoon on National Voter Registration Day.
“I’m proud and respectful of the fact that the Suns organization, the Mercury organization is collaborating together knowing that both voices of gender and of color are so important,” Mercury vice president Ann Meyers Drysdale said. “I know that we live in a state that is dominant Republican, but I think it’s important whether you’re an athlete or no matter what your profession is that you take an interest in what the issues are and what’s going on not only in our city and our state, but in our country and in the world.”
The PSAs provide information on the registration deadline to vote in Arizona (Oct. 5), what’s required to register online at arizona.vote and voting options like mail-in ballots.
“Just us using our voice,” Suns wing Mikal Bridges said. “We have a pretty big platform. Using it for good. We want equality in the world. Just us using our voice and people speaking out about it is great.”
The Suns and Mercury partnered with Maricopa County Elections Department to establish Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum as a voting center and drive-through drop box location for Maricopa County voters for the Nov. 3 election.
“I’m extremely excited to be a part of the conversation,” Suns assistant coach Willie Green said. “That’s a part of our responsibility as leaders is to let our voices be heard. This is an important election coming up and we need everyone engaged and doing everything they can to make sure they’re registered to vote and that includes us.”
The voting opportunities at “Madhouse on McDowell” are as follows:
● Oct. 24: Drive-through drop box only (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.).
● Oct. 31: Drive-through only (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.).
● Nov. 1: Drive-through drop box only (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.).
● Nov. 2: Drive-through drop box (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.): In-person voting (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.).
● Nov. 3: Election Day: In-person voting/drive through drop box (6 a.m. – 7 p.m.).
“I’m really excited,” said Bridges, 24, who will be a first-time voter for the Nov.
drop
box 3 election. “Got family around me to where I’m doing a lot of research, a lot of talking and communicating. Getting different views on different people. I’m excited.”
Johnson, 24, who voted in the 2016 election while in college at Pitt, sees voting as an opportunity to let “our voices to be heard” at the ballot box.
“It’s really one area where we can all contribute to promoting change and promoting positivity,” he said. “I’m sure a lot of people think there’s 300 millionplus Americans out there, so tons and tons of voters might think my vote specifically doesn’t count, doesn’t mean much, but it does. It does, man. As soon as we all come together and vote and put in the right people we feel will promote positivity and the change that we need in the offices, I think the better our society will be.”
Johnson knows the qualities he values in candidates, too.
“One thing to keep in mind is simple human decency as a very core value,” Johnson said. “Politics can get pretty twisted and you can get a lot of mudslinging going on. As soon as you weed out the true character of candidates, that’s a good place to start.”
From there, Johnson looks for someone who can impact communities, but he took it even a further when it comes to this fall’s election.
“Foster an environment where people feel safe and people feel cared for by the leaders of the country,” Johnson continued. “Limit divisiveness. Looking for people who can promote positivity and enact initiatives that need to be put in place in order for us to continue rolling that ball.”
Morality is the first word Drysdale used to describe the type of candidate she prefers.
“How you treat people,” “Kindness. Being honest.”
Green, 39, said he’s been a registered voter since his early 20s. Life experiences have greatly helped shape how he votes.
“I look for an individual or people who are for the greater good,” Green said. “That’s usually how I view voting.
she
said.
Someone who can identify with issues that me or people like me face and someone that we think can solve those issues and be the voice of the people – and that’s for overall people. Not just certain individuals. You’ve got to look at who’s on the ballot and who fits with what you believe in.”
Suns coach Monty Williams has made a conscious effort to talk with his team about the importance of voting. While the Suns were in the Orlando Bubble earlier this summer, Williams was talking about the wrongs in the country and made a point to say “we’re 100 days away” from the Nov. 3 election.
“It’s important to talk about basketball, but also talk about what’s going on in our country and around the world,” Green said. “A part of that discussion is voting and how important it is to vote and why it’s important to vote. Coach Monty does a good job of just communicating to our guys and as a staff, we all do the same with the guys.”
Before Mercury center Brittney Griner left the WNBA bubble in Florida for personal reasons, she closed out a Zoom media interview urging people to vote.
“Get out and vote,” Griner said while pounding on a table. “Get out and vote. Make a difference. Not just with the president. Get out and vote. Get out. Do it. Make a change.”
Mercury teammate Brianna Turner emphasized the importance of registering to vote to allow people to have a voice in the political process.
“Registering to vote is important so you are able to cast your ballot in the future,” she said. “All states have registration deadlines, so the earlier you register, the better. Even if you won’t be in town on Election Day, you can vote early, or in some cases vote by mail. Registering to vote is just the first step to voting within our democracy.”
While in the bubble, the Mercury participated in conference calls with Stacey Abrams, the first Black female major party gubernatorial candidate, and former First Lady Michelle Obama with voting one of the topics of discussion.
“Michelle Obama was saying to make sure you vote, get your friends registered to vote, get your family registered to vote whether they go in person or mail-in ballots,” Turner said. “They just emphasized the importance of voting.”
Drysdale, 66, referenced to women being denied to vote when speaking on the importance of voting. She became a registered voter at age 18 in 1973, but knew about politics as an early age as her mom is related to the late President John F. Kennedy.
“I knew that voting was a right, but it always wasn’t a right,” Drysdale said. “And being female, knowing that women could not vote, and you’re going like, why?”
Sticking with that denial theme, Green fully understands the sacrifices those before him made so he as an African-American could have the opportunity to vote.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 essentially guaranteed Blacks the right to vote.
“The fact that people died for this right, the right to vote, it’s important,” Green said.
Johnson elaborated on that historical and extremely important aspect of voting.
“We’ve made so much progress to this point, it almost makes it seem like how much more can we do,” Johnson said. “So many people have fought so hard. That’s really a reason why we should have pride to be in this country because of the people that fought for us to be in this place in the first place. Social rights activists and anybody who fought to make this a better place, but I think that’s where our right to vote really honors our country as a whole and puts us on the right track.”
For Bridges, talking to family puts his first opportunity to vote in perspective.
“My grandma was there when it was bad,” Bridges said. “Especially when it came to racial equality. It was pretty bad. She grew up in that.”
Bridges said he does a great deal of research of candidates online, but he leans on his family to help him have a better understanding of candidates.
“I can read stuff and there’s a lot of stuff on the internet that can be false,” Bridges said. “Just having another voice and hearing about what they’re going to do and what they think. My parents, grandparents, they’re wise, so they’ll say some things and I’ll sit there like, ‘I didn’t even think of it like that.’ Something in my head will click. Just having another source like them and friends as well.”
“There are two distinct directions and one of them definitely promotes positive change and social justice and equality as a people overall. I think that’s where everybody’s vote will really come into play.”
Cam Johnson
Suns forward