ORLANDO - When thinking about what we learned when we were in elementary school, probably what comes to mind first are all the academic fundamentals, including the three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic). But, upon further analysis, there’s probably way more that we each absorbed during those years.
For Orlando Magic center Mo Bamba, he learned just how important it is to vote. In one of his elementary school years, he ran for student body president. Although he lost that election, which he jokes about now, that experience taught him a great deal about the power in numbers and what it means when everyone makes their voices heard.
“It was important that everyone voted, and everyone did,” the now 24-year-old said. “That was the very first time I ever voted for something, and I think it was just a reoccurring theme in my life seeing how life works and how a true democracy works – voting for what you believe in and who best embodies what you believe in.
Even if you are voting for things when you are growing up as little as who should be student body president, those things come back full circle and it really does matter.”
Ever since the Magic announced their “Get Off the Bench. Get Into the Game. Vote.” campaign back in 2020, Bamba has been at the forefront of this initiative encouraging people to vote.
That’s precisely what he did at Barnett Park Gym on Tuesday, Sept. 20, which was National Voter Registration Day. Making the occasion even more memorable for those registering, Bamba took pictures with them, signed autographs, and handed them Magic souvenirs.
If anyone was unsure about whether to register, and ultimately vote, he had some simple advice.
“My message would be there’s no reason to necessarily be on the fence,” he said. “Your vote matters. There’s lots of things that people agree or disagree on, as far as politics for today, and if there’s things that you disagree on, voting is the first step towards changing things.”
With this year’s Magic squad so young, Bamba recognizes that some of his teammates have probably never voted before, mostly because they weren’t eligible to in prior elections. When the time is right, he plans on bringing the topic up to them to hopefully motivate them to take part in our democracy.
Bamba wasn’t the only one from the Magic going around town encouraging people to vote. Team Community Ambassador Bo Outlaw was at the Silver Star Recreation Center and West Orange Recreation Center doing the same.
The Magic have some things in store for this upcoming season to increase voting awareness. Players, for instance, will wear “VOTE” shooting shirts leading up to tipoff between the Magic and Houston Rockets on Nov. 7.