PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC today announced their plans to encourage voting and voting registration as part of the Rally the Vote campaign, Major League Soccer’s Unites to Vote platform and the National Women’s Soccer League’s voting and civic engagement initiatives.
Rally the Vote is a nonpartisan coalition in partnership with When We All Vote and RISE, composed of over 40 professional sports franchises whose aim is to urge their fans to register to vote and participate in elections. Teams from the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS, WNBA and NWSL have joined the effort to encourage fans to get in the game and make their voices heard. For more information, click here.
As part of the club’s efforts, a custom VOTE shirt has been created for each team and is available to all fans. A portion of the proceeds will benefit When We All Vote. These shirts have been distributed to all players and coaches on both teams.
- STORE: Timbers VOTE shirt
- STORE:Thorns VOTE shirt
The Timbers and Thorns FC social and digital platforms will feature messages leading up to the Election Day on Nov. 3 from players on both teams to encourage voting. Election Day will be a holiday for the club, and with mail-in voting in Oregon, staff and supporters are being encouraged to volunteer with local organizations on this day. In addition, Vote LEDs and virtual signage will be featured prominently during Timbers and Thorns FC match broadcasts, while the websites from both the Timbers and Thorns FC will include digital messaging. The club is also working with Multnomah County Elections to elevate and amplify their voter registration and voting messages.
In conjunction with MLS, Black Players for Change and the MLS Players Association, the league launched its MLS Unites to Vote, league-wide, non-partisan initiative to help players, staff and fans register to vote and participate in this year’s election on Sept. 17. This initiative seeks to leverage enterprise-wide platforms to educate the community on the process, driver voter registration, encourage volunteerism on Election Day and showcase the efforts of MLS clubs and players. To learn more, click here.
The NWSL will be promoting Election Day as a national holiday and is encouraging other teams to do the same. Throughout the Fall Series, league broadcasts will incorporate messages that urge fans to make their voices heard, register and vote.
