MLB All-Star Game moved to Denver after event pulled out of Atlanta

Major League Baseball plans to move its All-Star Game to Denver after the league announced Friday that it was pulling the game out of Atlanta in protest of the state’s new restrictive voting laws.

The league is scheduled to announce on Tuesday that the game, set for July 13, will take place at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, USA Today reported Monday evening citing a person with knowledge of the decision.

The city of Denver began lobbying to host the game after the MLB announced they were pulling the competition out of Atlanta, according to Yahoo Finance.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock told the outlet that his city was “ready to host” the game, citing the city’s “progressive voting system.”

“We’re proud to welcome it and to talk about the progressive voting system in Denver, that is bent on making sure no one, no one is abridged from their right to vote,” Hancock told Yahoo Finance.

“We’ll put that on display, but more importantly we can demonstrate to Major League Baseball that we are prepared and ready to host [the All-Star Game] in July, if they still choose us,” he added.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the decision to move the All-Star Game out of Atlanta in a statement Friday, writing “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box.”

Manfred said the decision was made after conversations with teams and players found that moving the game out of the Peach State was “the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport.” 

Last month, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed a sweeping elections bill into law which tightened voting regulations in the state, including limiting the use of ballot drop boxes and setting photo ID requirements for absentee voting.

The legislation also makes it a crime for people to hand out water or food to individuals standing in line, claiming that such provisions are a form of a gift that should be outlawed.