The Heat released a statement suggesting that the decision by Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez's administration to reject the team's proposal to bring an early-voting site to AmericanAirlines Arena "may be an attempt to 'quiet our voice on the critical importance of voting,'" according to Hanks & Chiang of the MIAMI HERALD. The Heat in their statement said that the county "seemed ready to approve a voting site at the arena then changed course on Friday with no explanation." Instead of the arena, Miami-Dade is "using the nearby Frost Science museum as a downtown Miami early-voting site." A county elections administrator said that "one drawback" of the Heat's proposal was whether AmericanAirlines Arena "could be an early-voting site in years beyond two weeks of early voting that begin Oct. 19." Regardless, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the decision left him "just extremely disappointed." Spoelstra: "It's a little bit of a surprise. We thought that we were on the goal line to be able to get it done, and we had really worked with the county to check all the boxes that they seemingly wanted checked. It would have been a perfect place. But I will promise you this: This is not going to stop us. We're going to get involved one way or the other" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/5).
DOING THEIR PART: In San Jose, Jon Becker reported the Warriors are "turning their facilities in Oakland and Santa Cruz into polling locations, and their Thrive City outdoor district near Chase Center as a ballot drop-off location." Ballots "can be dropped off at both locations" from Oct. 31-Nov. 2. The Thrive City location also will be "set up to accept ballots from voters on Election Day" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 9/5).
