The NBA has cleared its schedule on Tuesday, giving the league a full night off while Americans vote in the 2026 midterm elections. It is the fourth time in five years that the NBA has avoided games on Election Day.
The decision is designed to keep games from overlapping with in-person voting hours. The first group of polls on the East Coast closes at 6 p.m. ET, followed by many others at 7 p.m. ET. The NBA generally avoids scheduling games on three dates: Election Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.
Leaguewide voting initiative
The NBA announced the Election Day schedule pause in August, saying it wanted fans and the broader basketball community to make plans to vote and participate in the civic process. The league also created an online voting resource with information about polling locations, ballots and voter-registration status.
All 30 NBA teams played Monday the night before the election. Players across the league wore shirts marked “VOTE” during the 15 games, extending the league's voting message beyond its schedule decision.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr discussed voting before his team's game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday. Kerr said he had submitted his ballot and urged people to participate in midterm elections, which he said include important issues in California.
“I hope everybody votes, I voted today, dropped my ballot off in a ballot box near my house, and, you know, I always encourage everybody to get out there and vote. And sometimes there's a tendency to stay away in the midterms and only vote in the presidential elections, but there's a lot of really important issues here in California. I hope everybody gets out there and cast their ballot. That's what democracy's about.”
A recurring Election Day pause
- The NBA first kept its schedule free of games on Election Day in November 2022.
- The league also avoided games on Election Day in 2023 and 2024.
- The schedule resumes Wednesday with 14 games.
The league's Election Day policy follows earlier efforts by NBA teams to promote voting initiatives. With no games Tuesday, fans have an uninterrupted night for voting-related activity before the regular schedule resumes across the league Wednesday.
