Nationals Park to serve as polling site in November

Washington, D.C., residents will be able to vote at Nationals Park in November’s general election, the Washington Nationals announced on Monday. 

The stadium, which has been closed to baseball fans this season due to the coronavirus, will be one of roughly 80 polling centers in Washington. It joins Capital One Arena — the home of the Washington Capitals and Wizards — which announced it will also be a polling place earlier this month.

“Nationals Park is a civic asset and the Nationals will always work to ensure that it can be utilized in service to the community in as many ways as possible,” Mark Lerner, Washington Nationals managing principal owner, said in a statement. 

The stadium has previously served as a community kitchen for celebrity chef José Andrés’s nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, to provide meals during the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Since this past spring, we have hosted World Central Kitchen to help feed members of the DMV community who were in need. This fall, we can help make sure one of our most important civic responsibilities can be completed as seamlessly and safely as possible. We are thrilled to help alleviate some of the challenges associated with voting during a pandemic and support the Board of Elections by opening Nationals Park as an election site,” Lerner said.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser originally called for all 144 regular polling places to open, but due to a shortage of poll workers and concerns over social distancing, she proposed opening 80 polling places at larger venues, such as stadiums.