Assuming the post office still exists in a few months, all registered voters in Los Angeles County will receive vote-by-mall ballots ahead of the November election. But if you still want to do it the old-fashioned way? Well, the Dodgers are here to help.
On Thursday, the team announced that Dodger Stadium will be open to all registered voters in the county for five days leading up to the November 3 presidential election. And unlike Dodger games, parking will be totally free. UPDATE (8/31): Both the Forum and Staples Center will serve as voting centers, as well.
The Dodgers, @LACountyRRCC and @CASOSvote announced today that Dodger Stadium will serve as a Vote Center for the Presidential General Election. The voting site is a joint effort between the Dodgers, @morethanavote, @KingJames and @DAVIDprice24. pic.twitter.com/F4KN6TYdQs
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 13, 2020
Unlike previous elections, where voters were assigned to small polling places in their neighborhood, the county has now transitioned to a larger voting center model. So even if you don’t live in Echo Park or Elysian Heights, you can still vote at the stadium as long as you’re an L.A. County resident and registered to vote (check your status here). As far as additional day-of logistics, the team says it’ll announce those details at a later date, but for now it says it’ll follow all CDC and Public Health guidelines for social distancing (which makes us think voting may just occur in the parking lot and not in the stadium itself).
To make this happen, the team joined forces with Lakers star LeBron James and his organization More Than a Vote, an organization that fights Black voter suppression (pitcher David Price counts himself as a member, too).
“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,” said James in a statement. “We are all in this together. 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.”
For many Angelenos, this may be the brightest brush with Chavez Ravine this year: The Dodgers are currently playing at the stadium sans fans (plastic cutouts aside) and otherwise the parking lot has served as a massive city-run free testing site.