Comcast offers Wells Fargo Center as polling place for November election

Philadelphia has another expansive polling site available in its arsenal.

Comcast Spectacor, which owns and operates the Wells Fargo Center, is offering the arena to the city for the 2020 general election, the company announced Tuesday.

The Wells Fargo Center, home to both the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers, will be available to the city for election activities as it deems appropriate.

The announcement comes days after the NBA set forth a series of commitments aimed at supporting social justice — including encouraging people to vote.

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association on Friday said that team owners who control their arena property will work with local officials to transform the building into a voting location for the November election, allowing for a safe in-person voting option for communities vulnerable to COVID-19.

Talks between the NBA and the players association stemmed from a players strike over racial injustice after police shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Valerie Camilo, president of business operations of the Flyers and Wells Fargo Center, applauded the NBA and the 76ers for their advocacy.

“In the face of the unique circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, both our organization and the 76ers are pleased to be able … to ensure full, fair, safe and secure voter participation in this fall’s election,” Camilo said in a press release.

Chris Heck, president of the 76ers, said the team will continue to advocate for increased access to voting, using “our platform to do good in our communities.”

In the same vein, the Philadelphia Eagles offered up their stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, as a polling site.

Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie spoke to the organization’s role in addressing social justice issues in a virtual meeting with reporters Sunday.

Lurie said the organization plans to close its offices on Election Day, encouraging its staff to help with voter registration efforts or “any help we can to maximize people’s ease of voting, no matter how they’re going to vote.”

Voting has ramifications, Lurie said, and “maybe it’s taken some of us too long, myself included, to realize that.”