Accessing the Ballot
Wait until the polls open in late spring. In 2018, voting began on June 1. The date changes from year to year, so keep an eye on your favorite baseball news site around May. The All-Star Game is usually in the middle of July, halfway through the season, so you have almost 2 months to get your votes in. If the ballots aren’t available, keep checking! They will most likely be available by June.
Visit MLB’s official website to access the ballot. The easiest way to vote is through MLB’s official website. If you have a computer or another Internet-capable device handy, the link to the ballot will be advertised on the front page. If you can’t find it, look at the top to locate a link to the All-Star Game hub page, which will also allow you to access the ballot. The link for the All-Star hub page will be different every year, but you can always reach the ballot through https://www.mlb.com/. When you access the ballot, it will log you in. The site tracks your IP address, so you do not need to create a free MLB account.
Navigate to the ballot from your MLB club team page. Each of the 30 MLB clubs have their own team pages. You can search for your club online to find its page or click your team’s name on MLB’s official site to get there. When the ballot becomes available, your team page will have a link on the front page of its website encouraging you to make your vote of loyalty. The link will take you to the same ballot you access through MLB’s website, so it doesn’t matter which method you use. You can easily find your club’s page by typing in https://www.mlb.com/ followed by your team name. For instance, the Cleveland Guardians page is https://www.mlb.com/guardians.
Use MLB’s official apps to cast your votes. As of 2018, the ballots are also available in MLB’s official At Bat and Ballpark apps for both Apple and Android products. Search for these apps in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, download them, and open them. The ballot option should be prominently displayed when you open the app. The At Bat app is a free app that allows you to follow baseball news such as scores and injuries. The Ballpark app is free to use. It allows you to check in at any ballpark you visit, read about the venue, and follow your favorite team.
Completing a Ballot
Fill out your votes for the AL and NL All-Stars separately. When you access the ballot, it will be separated by league. Under each league, the players are divided up by the positions they play. You are able to vote for your choices in both leagues on a single ballot. The AL candidates are presented on the left side of the page, while the NL candidates are on the right. You do not need to fill out the entire ballot. If you only want to vote for 1 league or don’t know who to select for a position, you can leave that part of the ballot blank.
Vote for your favorite players or ones you think are deserving. Here comes the controversial part of the process. The All-Star Game is very much a fan-driven experience. Who you choose matters, since whoever wins the popular vote becomes a starter at their position. However, your vote is your own, and no one will know how you vote, so fill out your ballot however you please. Many fans go for players from their favorite team. If you wish to do this, look for your team’s logo on the top of the ballot and click it to automatically fill it out with your team’s players. People who follow the sport in-depth may wish to vote for the most deserving players. You can use the player stats from the first half of the season to help you choose. If you’re unsure, you can still cast votes for your favorite players.
Vote for a single player for each infield position. The 5 infield positions are first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and catcher. These positions are listed in order on the ballot. Each position will have a list of eligible players underneath it, so click on 1 you want to fill that role in the All-Star Game. You only get 1 vote per position per league, so make your vote count! Remember that the league ballots are separate. Choosing a shortstop from both the AL and NL won’t invalidate your ballot. You won’t be able to choose 2 AL or NL shortstops.
Select 3 outfielders for your league of choice. Like in a regular game, 3 players fill an outfield. The difference is that, on the ballot, the outfielders aren’t divided by position. You do not need to select separate left, right, and center fielders. Simply choose the 3 names you want to see at the All-Star Game. This makes the voting process much easier. You do not need to know where each player plays in the outfield. If you fill out both halves of the ballot, choose 3 outfielders for each league, 6 total.
Choose a DH if you are voting for the AL. The NL only has 8 position players for you to select. The AL has an extra position to vote for, which is the designated hitter (DH). Find the DH selection on the ballot and choose 1 player from it. Like during the regular season in the AL, the DH is a part of the batting order but never takes the field on defense. As of 2010, the All-Star Game rules state that the AL must have a DH.
Cast a write-in vote for any players missing on the ballot. Sometimes player names don’t show up the ballot. At the bottom of the ballot, you will see a write-in option. Select it, type the name of any player you wish to vote for, select their league, then select their position. Write-in votes invalidate any other choice you made at that position, so be careful. Before you cast your ballot, scroll back up to the section of the ballot for the position you wrote in for. You should not have a player selected there or else your write-in vote may not be counted. Write-in votes are useful for players called up to the Major Leagues partway through the season or otherwise left off the official ballot. You can write in players for both the AL and NL leagues.
Click submit at the bottom of the page to cast your vote. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and locate the “Continue” or “Submit Your Vote” button. Press it to send your vote. The voting system may give you an opportunity to review your choices. If it does, check the player names you chose, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. Select the “Submit” button again to finish your ballot. The ballot’s design may vary from year to year, but the general process is always the same. After selecting the players, a button at the bottom of the page allows you to submit the ballot. After you submit the ballot, you may be given an option to type your name and email address. This is often used for a promotional drawing or to get you on your team’s email registry. You can cancel out of this if you don’t want to do it.
Vote up to 35 times before the All-Star Game. As of 2018, you are allowed to cast 35 ballots. They can be filled out however you want, but you can submit only 5 within a 24-hour period. Come back at a later date to vote for your favorites again! You do have to fill out the ballot again each time you wish to vote. You may be able to vote more than 35 times by changing your IP address or by signing into the website with different email accounts. For the fun and integrity of the game, vote only 35 times.
Casting a Final Vote
Wait for the All-Star rosters to be revealed. The official All-Star rosters are released about a week before the game is set to be played. The news is typically released late in the day on MLB’s website and any sites or TV channels that cover the sport. The Final Vote ballot is immediately announced at this time. Check MLB’s official website and app for more information about when the final roster is released. They usually provide a specific day and time. For instance, in 2018 MLB announced the rosters on 7:00 PM EST on July 8. The All-Star Game occurred on July 17.
Access the Final Vote ballot on MLB’s website. Cast your vote to fill the final position the same way you did for the regular ballot. The official ballot is available through MLB’s website, its official apps, and the club team pages. Since 2002, the Final Vote has been a fun way for fans to fill the final All-Star positions in each league. Taking part in this is optional.
Select 1 player from each league. When you reach the ballot, you will see 2 lists of 5 players. The players are separated according to whether their team plays in the AL or NL. These players can be from any position, including pitchers you normally wouldn’t get to vote for. Click on the player you want to select them. These lists include players who did well in the first half of the season and fan favorites who didn’t make the official roster. You can only choose 1 player apiece from the AL and NL, so make your choice count!
Submit your vote before the deadline the next day. The time set aside for the Final Vote is very short, so get your vote in right away. The Final Vote ends about 2 or 3 days after the candidates are released and the winner is immediately announced that same day. You only get to cast 1 ballot this time, so check back to see who gets to take a trip to the game! For example, the 2018 Final Vote ended at 4:00 PM EST on July 11. Although you usually only get to vote 1 time, check MLB’s website for voting instructions. Sometimes they institute alternative voting methods like text messages or Twitter you can use to vote again.
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