iStock/Thinkstock(MIAMI) — Every member of the Miami Dolphins is now registered to vote.
The Dolphins, in conjunction with the Drum Major Institute, announced that every player has filed the necessary paperwork to vote in the 2018 election. The voter registration initiative began in June, when Drum Major Institute members Martin Luther King III and Bill Wachtel came to a Dolphins practice to register players to vote.
The Drum Major Institute’s website claims this is the first professional sports team to have a full roster of registered voters.
King plans to spread the voting initiative to other sports franchises, according to the Miami Herald.
“I salute the Miami Dolphins for their leadership in realizing upon my father’s dream of a society where all Americans can and do vote,” King said in a statement put out by the Dolphins. “Today, we celebrate the fact that every player on the Dolphins roster is a registered voter. What makes this truly special is that this voter registration effort, which was begun by Kenny Stills, has been spreading throughout the NFL and other sports leagues. As my father often said, that short step into the voting booth is the longest stride for democracy.”
The Dolphins statement also announced the creation by owner Stephen Ross and players of an annual fund for advocacy and justice. The fund will provide monetary support for programs surrounding community engagement, education and justice reform.
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