Baseball Hall of Fame voting guide: Dates, ballot, rules

The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., is where the sport's legends live forever.

But how do those legends make it to Cooperstown in the first place? There are two ways:

Players can be elected to the Hall of Fame via the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot or via an Era Committee ballot.

With the 2026 BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot set to be released Monday, here is everything you need to know about Hall of Fame voting.

BBWAA BALLOT VOTING

Who is eligible to cast a BBWAA ballot?

Only active and honorary members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America who have been active baseball writers for at least 10 years are eligible to vote. They must have been active as baseball writers and members of the BBWAA for at least 10 years before the date of the elect