Timberwolves and Lynx Announce Annual Pack the Vote Initiative  

Focus to be on education and information around Minnesota’s Restore the Vote bill

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx announced its annual Pack the Vote initiative, a nonpartisan voter education platform aimed at increasing voter registration by supplying voter resources and inspiring civic engagement in our community and across the country. We encourage our fans here in the Twin Cities and across the United States to join the Pack, educate themselves on voter facts and let their voices be heard at the polls.

This year, the Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx look to bring awareness to the Restore the Vote bill and disenfranchised voters while also empowering those to register to vote and vote on Election Day. In order to achieve their mission, the Wolves and Lynx will team up with national and local organizations including Minnesota Social Justice Research Center, ACLU MN, All Square and T.O.N.E. U.P.

“Pack the Vote is so much bigger than basketball,” said Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Chief Impact Officer, Tru Pettigrew. “With Pack the Vote in its third year, it’s incredible to see how far this initiative has come. Now, more than ever, it is so important for everyone to speak up and have their voices heard. We are so proud to partner with these wonderful organizations to help promote civic engagement in the Twin Cities community, especially those efforts surrounding the new Restore the Vote bill.”

As part of Pack the Vote programming, the Timberwolves and Lynx will host a special, Pack the Vote Community Conversation focusing on the Restore the Vote bill on Friday, Nov. 3, at All Square (4047 Minnehaha Avenue, Minneapolis, MN) from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. CT. The panel discussion will shed light on what this new bill means for those who are no longer incarcerated and those who may still be on probation. Members of the community who have been affected by the new Restore the Vote bill are invited to take part in this conversation and to learn how they can take part in this upcoming local election and for all upcoming elections.

The panel will include the following community leaders:

Leading up to the 2023 Election Day, the Timberwolves will host the ACLU on the main concourse at Target Center during their games on Nov. 1 (vs. Denver), Nov. 4 (vs. Utah) and Nov. 6 (vs. Boston). The ACLU will share voter registration information and educate fans on the Restore the Vote bill. These games will also feature in-arena public service announcements from Wolves players during the game as well as social media posts.

Additionally, the Timberwolves’ Nov. 6 game against Boston will be recognized as the Civic Engagement Voting night. Timberwolves players will wear pro-voting themed shooting shirts during pregame warmups. Pack Gives Back will donate 100 Timberwolves tickets to organizations supporting disenfranchised voters. In-game arena videos will feature messages promoting Pack the Vote, Restore the Vote, From the Block to the Ballot, and the November 7^th election and a recognition of the Restore the Vote Coalition, a group of organizers who were instrumental in advocating and helping to get the Restore the Vote law passed.

Key Voter Dates:

For the second consecutive season, the NBA announced it will not schedule games on Nov. 7 (Election Day) as part of a league-wide effort to amplify civic engagement.

Voter Registration Portal: An online portal to assist Timberwolves and Lynx fans across the country to register to vote in their respective states, not limited to Minnesota. To access the online portal and register to vote, please click here. 

Pack The Vote Website: The Pack the Vote website provides fans with access to voter education, facts, resources, and instructions on how to volunteer at polling sites on Election Day via Power the Polls, as well as access to the voter registration portal. To view the Pack the Vote website, please click here.

Text Service: Fans can text the word “PACK” to 26797 to register to vote, check their registration status and receive reminders leading up to the election. 

About Minnesota Social Justice Research Center (https://www.mnjrc.org)

The Minnesota Justice Research Center is dedicated to engaging in hard conversations, conducting rigorous and balanced research, and building bridges across differences in order to transform our criminal legal system. We engage a broad diversity of community members and criminal legal system stakeholders in conversations on ways to transform the existing system into one that provides real justice.

About ACLU MN (https://www.aclu-mn.org/en)

Founded in 1952 as the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Minnesota continues to promote, protect, and extend the civil rights of people in Minnesota through litigation, lobbying, and community

engagement. We value civil rights and civil liberties for everyone, especially the most vulnerable members of our community who have been historically and systematically deprived of them.

About All Square (https://www.allsquarempls.com/)

All Square is a nonprofit social enterprise that channels wealth and power to those impacted by mass incarceration. Our mission is to heal the harms created by the criminal justice system. All Square fights for a world where those who have “paid their debts to society” are all square, meaning truly unencumbered by their criminal records socially, economically, and politically.

About T.O.N.E. U.P. (https://toneup.org/)

T.O.N.E. U.P. Inc is a non-profit organization that provides re-entry services to formerly incarcerated men and women looking for a second chance. We provide one-on-one life coaching and character-building programs that promote healthy lifestyle choices to young men and women in the community who have been negatively impacted by faulty examples of manhood, love, accountability, and responsibility.