LA Dodgers & Lebron James partner to create first polling stadium
August 21, 2020
Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, will open as a polling station for the upcoming US presidential election following a partnership between the Major League Baseball team and NBA basketball star LeBron James, marking the first time a Major League Baseball team had offered its facility as a voting centre.
The initiative was announced last week and came together after More Than A Vote -- a non-profit voting-rights coalition of black athletes and artists seeking to fight systemic voter suppression created by James More Than a Vote -- teamed with the Dodgers, who have used the stadium as a site for coronavirus testing and food distribution in recent months.
"Dodger Stadium is part of the fabric of Los Angeles, and we're proud to continue to partner with the County to make the property available for the benefit of the community at large," Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a news release.
"Voting is all of our civic duty, and we're excited to work with More Than a Vote to do anything we can to help get out the vote by making this process as easy, accessible and safe for all Angelenos."
For the five days leading up to the Nov. 3 election, all registered voters in Los Angeles County will be able to park for free and vote at the stadium. While it is unclear whether the ballots will be cast indoors or outside the stadium, the groups plan to abide by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regulations regarding social distancing.
"I'm really proud we were able to help the Dodgers become the first MLB stadium to open for voting. This is exactly why we created More Than a Vote. A lot of us now working together and here for every team who wants to follow the Dodgers lead and turn their stadium into a safer place for voting," said James.
James' efforts to use expansive sports sites as polling places already had taken root in the NBA. After the Atlanta Hawks in late June offered the use of State Farm Arena as a polling place for upcoming elections, the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons said they would do the same with their arenas.
MLB and the LA Dodgers have been long-standing founding supporters of Beyond Sport.