Fenway Park expected to be used as voting venue

In this July 24, 2020, file photo, two fans walk on a normally crowded Jersey Street in front of Fenway Park before an opening day baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. Elections officials in Boston are expected to approve Fenway Park as an early voting venue when they meet on Thursday, Sept. 24, after Red Sox owner John Henry offered the storied ballpark for voters hesitant to cast ballots indoors during the coronavirus pandemic. | Michael Dwyer/AP

BOSTON (AP) — 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.

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.

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