USC Athletics opens Galen Center as voting site

Known as the home of USC women’s and men’s basketball and volleyball, Galen Center now operates as an official voting center for the 2020 election with the help of USC Athletics and the USC Athletics Black Lives Matter Action Team. 

With arenas around Los Angeles such as Dodger Stadium, Staples Center and Banc of California Stadium opening up as polling places, USC Athletics was inspired to create another available landmark to help the community cast their votes. 

“We wanted to give our University community as well as our broader community access to a facility where people could vote as safely as possible,” said Julie Rousseau, director of the USCABLM Action Team. “Everyone is struggling in many different ways in terms of COVID fatigue. They’ve had to face some type of adversity,” Rousseau said. “But we just wanted to say that we’re here to try to make the load a little lighter if we can. That’s the spirit behind offering the Galen Center.”

USC Athletics, and in particular the USCABLM Action Team, have been critical in helping USC provide Galen Center as a voting center for the first time ever. After President Carol Folt signed the All-In Campus Democracy Challenge along with Pac-12 President Mark Shuken, over 95% of all USC student-athletes have registered to vote. 

One of the USC United Black Student-Athletes Association’s demands outlined in May was to not have any athletic activity on Election Day, Nov. 3 — a request met by the Athletic Department.

Rousseau said the UBSAA’s initiative was a driving motivation in inviting athletes and fans back to the venue once packed for game tipoff to now serve as the tipoff for civic involvement.

“I think the entire country has been engaged in voting, and I think that stems from the social injustice and unrest [when] you think back to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery … People see the need to vote because they want to see change,” Rousseau said. “That’s where the recommendations [to open Galen Center] emanate from, from our Black student-athletes … We want to see our environments to be anti-racist, to be just. That’s our goal — to be working on behalf of our student-athletes.” 

Rousseau hopes Galen Center will be used beyond the 2020 election as a sustainable space available for future civic duty purposes. 

The USC Center for the Political Future worked hand in hand with the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Office to educate voting center staff on what it takes to be a poll worker, completing absentee ballots, responsibilities and obligations, as well as how to properly conduct voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Pre-COVID, a lot of people had a hard time finding their polling place. [Galen Center] just seemed like a perfect fit,” said Kambiz Akhavan, USC Center for the Political Future  executive director. “It seemed like a very easy decision to invest the time and energy and all the work it takes to make a polling center, and not just have the Galen Center as a voting destination, but to stamp it with USC student-athletes and students. That to me is an amazing part of the story … When you show up to the Galen Center, you’re going to see nothing but Trojans staffing it, which says a lot about USC’s civic engagement.” 

Kristy Plaza, communications and media manager at CPF, joined the team to help bolster USC’s voter engagement. Plaza and CPF created and shared content and partnerships between student organizations such as VoteSC to communicate voter information.

“During elections, what people need are voting locations … We are doing the important work of helping [people] and [their] democratic civic duty,” Plaza said. “I don’t think there’s an option not to be involved in this democratic process and help to do our most to help our citizens and the USC community exercise their right to vote.” 

L.A. resident and former USC staff member Gerane Bailey found Galen Center the most convenient  place for her to cast her ballot safely.

“We want things to go right for the people, and we want to see a change,” Bailey said after casting her vote.

USC women’s basketball redshirt sophomore guard Shalexxus Aaron cast her first presidential vote at Galen Center Friday evening with the hopes to make a change for her future.

Aaron felt that Galen Center offered her the safest place to cast her ballot, reflecting on the multiple examples of voter suppression in the community’s surrounding areas. 

“The Galen Center means strictly sports to us, so for it to mean such a huge thing in the world and using our facility as a voting center is huge … It shows that USC cares,” Aaron said. “I was very excited … I quadruple-checked [my ballot] just to make sure I was voting for the right person … I voted, y’all!” 

Galen Center will remain open up until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Election Day.