There won't be any baseball and you cannot buy a hotdog, but Boston Red Sox management is inviting Boston residents to cast their ballot this weekend at Fenway Park to avoid crowded polling stations on election day.
Fenway’s third base concourse, which will be open from 11am to 7pm this Saturday and Sunday, is one of ten early voting locations available to Boston residents. Election officials are expecting historic turnout for this year's election, despite the pandemic. In 2016, voters in Massachusetts cast a record 3.38 million ballots in the presidential election, and Secretary of State William Galvin has said he believes more voters could participate this year.
Red Sox spokeswoman Zineb Curran said the team is opening its ball park for voters because it has plenty of space for social distancing.
“Fenway Park is an open air venue, [and] our concourses are covered," she said. "With rain anticipated in the forecast, we are a covered yet very [open-air] and highly air-circulated location, so it’s really ideal.”
Voters can access the ballpark by using the Gate A entrance on Jersey Street, she said. The sidewalks will have markings on the ground to encourage social distancing, she added.
Mask wearing is encouraged and will be provided to anyone who needs one. But Curran said no one will be turned away, since the goal is to provide access to anyone who would like to vote.
“We have a lot of space here, so we’re able to queue up thousands of people if we need to. We are no strangers to large crowds and can make sure everyone is safe and voting safely.”
