‘Chance to be heard’: What voting process, Election Day off mean to Georgia football

Jamaree Salyer went to the polls as a first-time voter.

Georgia’s left tackle had been to a voting establishment with his mom as she voted as an Atlanta-area resident. He’s too young to remember much about it. This opportunity had the value of holding an item of 24-karat gold. Salyer wasn’t going to miss a second of savoring a chance to be heard ahead of Tuesday’s general election.

“I felt really good walking out of there,” Salyer said. “I thought, ‘Wow. I just voted for the first time.’ I really enjoyed it.”

Ahead of arguably Georgia’s biggest game of the season, Salyer walked up to the Zoom camera to speak with reporters Monday. His biggest prides could be seen on his red collared shirt — a “Power G” logo as a member of the Bulldogs and an SEC sticker with “I Voted” encapsulating the conference’s logo to celebrate his civic duty as an American citizen.

The NCAA called for pause on Election Day in the midst of a hectic football season. The initiative, kick-started by Georgia Tech assistant basketball coach Eric Reveno, puts a focus on the first Tuesday of November. Georgia players, like those across the country, will set football to the side for a few hours to ensure everyone has exercised their right.

“The opportunity for us to go out and have our voice heard is probably one the most game-changing things I’ve seen,” Salyer said. “The idea behind it is that everyone gets a chance to be heard. I think that’s great, and that hasn’t always been the case in the world leading up to this. A lot of people haven’t had a chance to have their opinions voiced.”

For many Georgia players, the voting experience probably had a similar feeling to Salyer. The Bulldogs had 121 of 130 of its players — about 93% — already place their vote as an in-person attendee or via mail as an out-of-state resident. Georgia opened Stegeman Coliseum as an early voting venue from Oct. 27-29, and a handful of football players took advantage of that window.

Georgia football, along with the track, cross country and women’s basketball programs, made voting a priority. They had a goal of getting 100% of the student-athletes registered to vote, and most of them will have their ballots cast before results are tabulated by nightfall on Nov. 3. The push for voting came after the numerous events centered around social injustice over the summer months.

Head coach Kirby Smart listened to his players on issues, then they collectively decided to take action. They marched on campus and convened at the Hunter-Holmes Academic Building — named after the first two African-American attendees at the University of Georgia — in black jerseys to speak on equality. Georgia started a handful of “Dawgs For Pups” initiatives to do work in the Athens-Clarke County community.

Election Day is another milestone, because it celebrates the Bulldogs’ push to get to the polls.

“What’s important is getting our kids an opportunity to vote and that’s what most of them have done,” Smart said. “It was such a point of emphasis on our athletic department and our athletic administration did a great job of getting 100 percent of our student-athletes to vote.”

Added running back Zamir White: “That’s huge for us. Our staff here takes it very seriously, and they made sure we all had plans to go out there and vote.”

An off day doesn’t have too much of an effect on the Bulldogs, so Election Day will mostly be idle. Ahead of the Florida game (3:30 p.m., CBS), Georgia held a light walk-through Sunday to compensate for missing Tuesday’s practice. Georgia players can perform voluntary activities, but no sport-related team activities can be held. On the afternoon of Election Day, Smart will host a speaker to meet with the team.

Some coaches, including Florida head coach Dan Mullen, have been outspoken in opposition to the off day. Smart said it doesn’t matter whether he’s “for it or against it.”

“The decision was made a long time ago and they didn’t realize how proactive these athletic departments would be in terms of, number one, registering student-athletes to vote and getting them to vote,” Smart said. “It will be more of an opportunity for them to work on other things: academics, to clear their mind, for whatever they want to do.”

Salyer will be sure to stay in the loop. He admittedly didn’t have much of an investment in the 2016 election, but his perspective has changed this year. There are important elections beyond the presidency, too, such as the two open seats to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate.

A chance to vote, many of whom are doing so for the first time because of age, holds its weight. Georgia tight end Tre’ McKitty felt a sense of pride when putting on his voter sticker inside Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs didn’t have anyone shying away from the polls, either, but instead itching to voice their opinion.

According to the United States Census Bureau, voter participation of those in the 18- to 29-year-old age group stood at 46.1%.

“For us, being college football players and having the high profiles that we do, being able to be seen in polling places is really big in our community,” Salyer said. “I don’t think voting has always been a priority in this country, and you can see that in voter participation in the last election. It’s important to push it in this election and I’m proud of this country for it.”

The off day for Georgia won’t be a busy one. But the celebration holds more weight than football on Saturday. The Bulldogs will be ready to go for Florida, but checking off another milestone came first.

“We just want to make a difference in the world,” center Trey Hill said. “We chose to vote.”