LeBron James and the More Than A Vote organization he helped create have partnered with the Los Angeles Dodgers to make Dodger Stadium a polling location for the November presidential election. It’s in line with the organization’s work, among other things, to address voter suppression.
As ESPN reports, More Than A Vote has teamed up with the Dodgers for Dodger Stadium to serve as a voting location for five days leading up to the general election on Nov. 3. It will be the first time a Major League Baseball team has authorized use of its stadium for voting, which will make for one of the roughly 1,000 other voting centers in the Los Angeles area.
All registered voters in Los Angeles County will be able to vote at Dodger Stadium, with no cost for parking.
Exactly how the voting process will be organized remains to be seen, but plans are to follow health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including when it comes to social distancing. In recent months, Dodger Stadium has been used for COVID-19 testing and food distribution.
“I may still be new to L.A. but didn’t take long for me to learn how special the relationship is between the Dodgers and Lakers. We are all in this together,” said James in a press statement. “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.”
James started More Than A Vote in June with other Black athletes and entertainers to help fight voter suppression. The group has already donated $100,000 toward court costs for felons in Florida so they may vote in November. That’s because owing money to the court in that state precludes them from doing so.
Before More Than A Vote’s partnership with the Dodgers was announced on Thursday, Aug. 13, the organization helped convince a few NBA teams to use their arenas for November’s election, including the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons.
“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,” said Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten in a press 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.”
