BOSTON, MA – JULY 24: The Black Lives Matter Major League Baseball logo is painted as a stencil on the pitchers mound during a pre-game ceremony before the Opening Day game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles on July 24, 2020 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
There's the windup, the pitch — and the vote.
Election officials in Boston are expected to approve Fenway Park as an early voting venue when they meet Thursday, after Red Sox owner John Henry offered the storied ballpark for voters hesitant to cast ballots indoors.
City officials toured the park and have said it meets their guidelines. If formally cleared as a venue, Bostonians could vote at Fenway on Oct. 17 and 18.
At least two other Major League Baseball parks — Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. — have been approved as voting venues, along with more than a dozen NBA arenas.
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Cities and towns trying to contain the coronavirus pandemic have been looking for large outdoor or well-ventilated alternatives to schools, libraries, community centers and municipal buildings traditionally used for voting.
The Red Sox have been playing at Fenway during their truncated 60-game season, but fans haven't been allowed inside.
