After Major League Baseball decided to move out the All-Star game out from Georgia as a response to the state’s newly passed election integrity law, several political leaders, all Democrats so far, are welcoming the game to their states.
The Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon wrote Friday on Twitter that his state would welcome the All-star Game.
“Hey, MLB, we in Minnesota would welcome the All-star Game! Bonus: We have pro-voter election laws, and the #1 voter turnout in the nation,” Simon wrote.
Recently, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law election reforms that would require photo ID for absentee voting, mandatory dropbox security, and mandatory early voting dates, among other measures.
According to The Denver Post, a spokesperson for Colorado Governor Jared Polis said that he would welcome the All-Star game to their local field.
“The governor knows that Colorado is the best home for the All-Star Game, especially because Colorado also has strong laws that enable voters to cast their legal ballots any way they choose including through mail or in person,” the governor’s spokeswoman said. “The governor will be burning up the phones the next few days to see if there is an opening to bring the All-Star game to Denver.”
The mayor of Denver, Michael Hancock, would welcome the game, said Theresa Marchetta, the director of strategic communications and media policy for the mayor.
“While the Mayor hasn’t personally reached out to Commissioner Manfred on this yet since it was just made public, with our history of hosting these types of major sporting events, Denver and Coors Field would be a natural fit,” she said. “We will follow the lead of our MLB team, the Colorado Rockies, in consideration of hosting the All-Star Game.”
Another Democrat governor, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, floated the prospect of having the event in their state.
“In Illinois, we just expanded voting access because we want everyone who is eligible to vote to have their voice heard,” Pritzker wrote on Twitter. “And our baseball stadiums are among the most storied in the world. We would welcome the All-Star Game safely and enthusiastically”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas also wrote on Twitter that they would welcome the game.
“Kansas City respects voting rights and would welcome the return of the MLB All-Star Game,” Lucas wrote on Twitter.
New York’s Queens state Sen. Michael Gianaris joined in the welcome wave and said that the All-Star game should be held in Citi Field, the home of the Mets.
“I write in light of your recent decision to move Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to their new anti-voting rights law. I commend you and MLB for taking this important stand in favor of democratic principles,” Gianaris, the deputy Senate majority leader, said in a letter to the MLB commissioner, according to the NY Post.
“This game is a beloved annual tradition for baseball fans across the nation and I would like to encourage Major League Baseball to hold the 2021 All-Star game at Citi Field in Queens, New York,” he added.
The 95-page law that triggered the incident adds a number of changes to the way Georgians vote, including requiring photo or state-approved identification to vote absentee by mail. The law also mandates that secure drop boxes be placed inside early voting locations, with constant surveillance, and expands early voting across the state.
The law also shortens the election cycle to four weeks from nine and requires a minimum of one week of early voting before Election Day. People who wish to vote absentee are faced with new requirements as well.
Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report.
