Barclays Center To Become Largest Polling Site In Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, NY — The biggest event at the Barclays Center this year will come in the form of New Yorkers strolling in to cast votes in the 2020 election, according to officials.

"This is the concert, this is the revolution that everybody needs to be a part of," City Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo said. "It's critical we come out here just as we come out to see Beyonce or Janet Jackson."

Cumbo, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the NYC Board of Elections and Barclays Center officials revealed Tuesday that the popular Brooklyn venue will be turned into a polling site for this year's election.

The venue, which has been largely closed during the coronavirus crisis, will become the largest voting space in the borough and offer plenty of room for New Yorkers to vote safely amid the pandemic, officials said.

"The reason this location was selected is because it's safe — it's large, it's wide and we're able to practice social distancing," Cumbo said.

The Barclays Center joins a number of sports venues that will be used as voting sites for the November election, including Madison Square Garden. Converting NBA arenas into voting locations was one of the agreements between players and owners to end a recent strike, according to reports.

The Brooklyn spot, which sits at a major transportation hub above Prospect Park, has become even more of a central meeting spot for the borough in recent months, when troves of protesters used the venue's plaza for nightly protests after the death of George Floyd.

Officials urged the borough's residents to come out in similar numbers for the election. The venue will be open on Election Day and for early voting between Oct. 24 and Nov. 1.

The announcement also came on National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, which is meant to inspire people to sign up to become election workers in the general election.

"This space has transformed from a place where peaceful protests took place to a place where peaceful voting will continue," Adams said.

More information on the election in New York City can be found here.