Increasing voter turnout by working with (not against) Boston's sports-crazed fans

Over the past few days there was a lot of concern about the Presidential Primary election and Patriots victory parade that would have both been held tomorrow. Some people say that people should be able to vote even if there was a parade, some people said we shouldn't be making at any more inconvenient for people to vote.

The convergence of sports and voting actually has a much more exciting potential. Athletes often do community service by visiting hospitals, schools, and other community organizations. How many more people would vote if sports stars visited our polling places? Sure, there would be some logistic challenges to solve, but think how many more people would decide to vote if, after they put their ballot in the voting machine, instead of just confirming their name and address with the police officer, they could have their photo taken with a Celtic, Bruin, Patriot, or Red Sox player or get their autograph? Kevin Garnett, or even Glen "Big Baby" Davis, would be a huge draw and parents would bring their kids who would also benefit from a bit of civic awareness.

I don't know if this has ever been done, but if athletes can take a day of their time to ride around in Duck Boats, maybe someone could convince the players and their team owners that spending a couple hours at the polls would be a great way for their teams to be good citizens and encourage the same from their fans.