Democrats again pick football stadium for Obama convention speech

The Democratic National Convention will again move to an outdoor football stadium on its final day, providing for a much larger venue for Barack Obama to accept his party’s nomination for a second term as president.

Party officials on Tuesday announced more details about the September convention in Charlotte, N.C., including shortening the gathering to three days and kicking off the festivities on Labor Day with what’s being called a day of organizing at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The convention will officially begin Tuesday, Sept. 4, at the Time Warner Cable Arena in downtown Charlotte. On Thursday, Sept. 6, the proceedings will move to the 73,000-seat Bank of America Stadium for President Obama’s acceptance speech.

At the party’s 2008 convention in Denver, Obama closed the convention at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium.

Party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, speaking Tuesday in Charlotte, said the convention plans were developed with the goal of “engaging and involving as many folks as want to participate.”

Wasserman Schultz also downplayed any optics issues linked to the Bank of America name being on the stadium, home to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.

“We don’t believe there is any relevance to who the naming rights are handled by to any of the venues we host convention events in,” the Florida congresswoman said. “This president has a remarkable record ... to make sure folks on Main Street aren’t run over by folks on Wall Street.”

Republicans will hold their national convention in Tampa, Fla., in August.

michael.memoli@latimes.com