Williams sisters can’t vote
Serena Williams would vote for Barack Obama if she
could. Don’t even ask Venus Williams what her political leanings are.
The Williams sisters, vocal on so many issues from
fashion to gender equality and equal pay for women, say they’re not
allowed to vote because of their religion. The sisters, who have 14
Grand Slam singles titles between them and are among the most
recognizable athletes in sports, are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
After their first-round wins at Wimbledon, both
were asked about the Nov. 4 presidential election.
"I feel that what I do in tennis isn’t really
political," Venus said after her 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over British wild
card entry Naomi Cavaday on Tuesday. The work she does for UNESCO and
other agencies was about helping people, she said, "I don’t see it as
political. I don’t vote."
Younger sister Serena said she was "excited to see
Obama out there doing his thing."
"I’m a Jehovah’s Witness, so I don’t get involved
in politics. We stay neutral. We don’t vote," she said. "So I’m not
going to necessarily go out and vote for him. I would if it wasn’t for
my religion."