I got the below email inquiry this morning about wearing campaign t-shirts, buttons, stickers, hats, etc. while voting. Info about this issue follows below.
Is this true?
Please, please, please advise everyone you know that they absolutely can NOT go to the polls wearing any Obama (or whoever you are voting for) shirts, pins, hats, etc. It is AGAINST THE LAW and will be grounds to have the polling officials to turn you away. This is considered campaigning and no one can campaign within X amount of feet of the polls. They are banking on us being overly excited and not being aware of this long standing law that you can bet will be ENFORCED THIS YEAR!!!!! They are banking that if you are turned away, you will not go home and change your clothes and return to the polls to vote. Please just don't wear ANY gear of any sorts to the polls! Please share this information with as many people as you can. If you are already aware of this, please don't take it as insulting your intelligence.
It's true that electioneering (signs, handing out flyers, loudly speaking about candidates, etc.) is not allowed at polling places (or even during voter registration), and buttons, stickers, t-shirts, etc. are considered "passive electioneering", and one may be asked to remove these items while in polling place (states have varying laws about "passive electioneering".
In IL no electioneering is allowed w/i 100 feet of polling places. I couldn't find specific info about "passive electioneering" in IL.
Here is the snopes.com info ... http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/electioneering.asp
I say better safe than sorry - voters should not wear or display any campaign materials w/i 100 feet of polling place. I suggest that poll watchers & election judges bring big trash bags that voters who are wearing campaign t-shirts and have no change of clothes can wear to vote.
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