GOP seeks ban on political clothes at polling places

[Obamarulz11]

By Mario F. Cattabiani

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

HARRISBURG - If top state Republicans get their way, you can forget about wearing that Obama T-shirt when you step up to cast your vote Nov. 4.

Palin pins will be off limits, too.

It's called "passive electioneering" and GOP officials today called on the Rendell administration to enforce a little-known, decades-old law they say bans such things.

"We strongly believe Pennsylvanians should be able to look to the polling place as a safe harbor, free of any type of electioneering, without any outside influences," Robert Gleason, chairman of the state Republican Party, said at a Capitol news conference.

In past years, some local election officials across Pennsylvania - but not in Philadelphia - have enforced the provision, going as far as asking voters to turn their T-shirts inside out.

But this year, the Rendell administration has softened its stance on the issue.

The ACLU and the League of Women Voters last month asked the Pennsylvania Department of State to weigh in on the topic, believing that preventing voters from wearing T-shirts with a candidate's name on it infringes on their freedom of speech.

Two weeks ago, Department of State officials sent letters to the state's 67 county boards of elections advising them that, although state law bans electioneering inside a polling place, it doesn't define what the term means.

Merely wearing shirts and buttons doesn't constitute electioneering as long as no other attempts to influence voters are made, the memo said. In short, the state is letting the county boards of elections decide whether to police what people wear.

Having to decide on their own whether a shirt stepped over the line would turn election poll workers into "fashion police," said Sandra Newman, a former state Supreme Court Justice and head of the Republican Party's Fair Election's Task Force.

"We might even have to become Vogue editors."

Newman joined Gleason at today's news conference.

Their comments came as two local election officials from Allegheny County were filing a lawsuit in Harrisburg asking Commonwealth Court to force the state to impose a uniform standard against T-shirt, buttons and other campaign paraphernalia inside polling places.

Allowing individual counties to decide has led to confusion, said Gleason, who accused the Rendell administration of creating its own laws as opposed to enforcing those on the books.

The department of state is standing by its memo.

"We want to see every eligible Pennsylvanian have the right to vote. We don't want to get them bogged down in thinking about taking off a T-shirt," said Chet Harhut, who heads the state's bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation.

Some counties don't plan any changes.

T-shirts and buttons won't be allowed inside any of the 418 polling place in Montgomery County, said Joseph Passarella, its director of voter services.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20080918_GOP_seeks_ban_on_political_clothing_at_polling_places.html

[maseman]

1. There's no fucking dress code to vote

I would take my shirt off and hang it on the door of the entrance inside the voting place and continue my lever pulling for Obama.

[CalGator]

3. just remeber to put the side with Obama facing the crowd.

that'll show em. :rofl:

[maseman]

6. Good point! A little extra branding never hurt.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. ...only to expose your Obama tattoo...

[CalGator]

2. the state has it right

"Merely wearing shirts and buttons doesn't constitute electioneering as long as no other attempts to influence voters are made..."

An outright ban would be a violation of free speech rights. A court case against any state or county enforcing the rules unconstitutionally would be a cake walk for voters right groups.

Of course, we all know why the Repubs want the ban: you will see far more Obama shirts than McCain shirts on the backs of voters in nearly every state--blue or red--and they want the poll workers to be able to harass or disenfranchise if possible. Exponentially higher numbers for Obama shirts/hats/pins wouldn't surprise me.

[abumbyanyothername]

14. This is definitely a first amendment violation.

Good luck with our current Supreme Court however.

[nc4bo]

4. So I could walk into a voting booth buck nekkid, as long as I'm not wearing a button or earrings

with my candidates name on it, I can vote? Wow?

I wonder what would happen if I have an Obama tattoo on my tatas?

Pukes are acting rather pukey.

[maseman]

8. Do you have a tat of Obama on your tatas?

:shrug:

[nc4bo]

15. Honestly no - it's just the sleaze tactics always seem to blow me away.

Just another way to disenfranchise more voters. Although I'm sure that in this election, people would simply take off their shirts and turn them inside out while their standing in line waiting to vote.

Just more silliness that I don't think too many people will take kindly to on 11/04.

[Bread and Circus]

5. This is another way to get excited young people to not vote...

oops you showed up in your Obama shirt...sorry...come back later...

[BayouBengal07]

7. I thought that was already against the rules...

Growing up I remember, at least in Louisiana, there was like a 50 foot limit from polling places at which you could display political messages.

Are they trying to impose a national standard?

[crispini]

9. This is already the law in Texas.

Most election judges don't crack down on people, i.e. we don't make them take off their shirts, but most folks just seem to know and don't wear them anyway. However, I can see that this would be a real pain to enforce.

[davidinalameda]

10. as someone who has worked the polls in the past

we're way too busy to worry about what someone has on

[me b zola]

11. They've got a lot of freaking nerve (but we already knew that)

Mr zola and I live in Oregon where we have vote by mail--which is great!--but it is our ritual to always take our ballots down to the Multnomah CO building and turn them in on election day. On Nov 4th, 2004 as we stood in line to get into the building we were so psyched about democracy in action, about the hope that we had for the outcome...and there they were. Republicans standing outside the doors with picket signs intended to intimidate voters. I don't remember the words on their fascist signs, but I remember well how obscene their intentions were.

Screw them. Screw republicans and their freaking anti-democratic tactics.

[rpannier]

12. I know when I walk into a polling station seeing someone wearing a shirt or with a lapel pin on

Usually sways my vote...:dunce: :banghead: :sarcasm:

However, if it's against the law the state needs to either enforce the ban or change the law.
The law doesn't seem to violate the Constitutional Right of someone to vote.

And it's a minor inconvenience to turn my shirt inside out or take off a pin.
Although, it seems idiotic as most people can read amadO or niaCcM through the shirt and could figure out what the shirt says.

[samuraiguppy]

13. I thought this was

always the law? That is what I was taught in my American Government class a long time ago.

[Hestia]

18. Me too. I was always under the impression that nothing was allowed, but didn't know about shirts

[samuraiguppy]

37. I've always been careful just in case....

usually make sure I don't have any buttons and stuff on me when I go in. It really isn't a big deal.

I am pretty sure it has always been this way

[SeattleGirl]

16. Fuck that noise!

I'll wear whatever I want to wear, or paint my face with the Obama logo if I want.

Fuck them.

[Hestia]

19. back on topic - repug's are stopping at nothing to disenfranchise everybody aren't they?

Who has time to come up with all these lawsuits?

[Arugula Latte]

20. Why not just ban clothes, period?

Vote early, vote often, vote nekkid! :woohoo:

[nc4bo]

32. Nudists for Obama - LOLLOL nt

[nc4bo]

21. Silly thought....tinfoil hat time.

Imagine for a moment that Dems will come out in record numbers. Some or most will probably be wearing a button, shirt, or something on their person identifying their candidate.

Wouldn't it be harder to screw around with those exit poll #'s if even 1/2 of the Dem voters identified themselves with a button, sticker or shirt?

I can see it now - 5000 people exit polled, 2000-3000 are wearing "something" yet the exit polls show some other weird arse nonsense number showing a repuke or 3rd party vote. It wouldn't look quite right would it?

Stupid tinfoil hat.

[KathieG]

25. Looks like I'm sporting a tinfoil hat too because I just posted something similar...

it does make you wonder.

[Essene]

22. they have a point, but it's a slippery slope... because what's next? haircuts?

making polling stations clear of political pandering is a valid objective, but it's staggering to hear REPUBLICANS making this argument to crack down on 1st amendment rights.

truly staggering.

it's hard to argue against t-shirts and buttons, although we can expect law suits.

but this sets a very bad precedent. what if a candidate becomes affiliated with certain colors? certain hair styles? certain style of pants? etc.

[TrogL]

23. That's the law in Canada

Also no election materials within 100 metres of a polling station.

[KathieG]

24. Hmmm...sounds like another way to lay the groundwork for cheating...

Kind of hard to say that all the people waiting in lines are there to vote McCain when they are all sporting Obama garb.

[riverdale]

26. It must be something

If Republicans are behind it, you know it's wrong. Perhaps someday we will reach a point where you can't instinctively dismiss every one of their ideas out of hand. But for now, you know if they thought of it, it has to be something like that.

[nc4bo]

29. You and KathieG smell a rat too. Pukes don't press on certain issues for nothing, that's a fact

they'll only push if it's to their own advantage, we know this.

[bridgit]

27. Fuck them! Voting isn't like going to Jesus Camp!

[zeek 463]

28. had to e-mail my local tv station

today was my last day to watch your new's cast you people are so one sided about the election it's not funny your border line Pathetic you run that stinking Mcdumbass (Mcain) add every night you hill billy's ever think there's two side's to this deal? I for one think your station sucked as it was now this? it's only right for the dem's to boycott your broadcast and a dem with any self respect would never show up at wtap to give money to the red cross in your parking get real morons........They never run an Obma add I live in Ohio and our local tv is in west verginia it's a shit deal.

[1corona4u]

30. Oh for fuck sake...

this is ridiculous. :eyes:

[jberryhill]

31. That's been the law in Delaware for years /nt

[1corona4u]

33. Oh, and by the way...

isn't there a movement going on to get Obama supporters to wear blue to vote? Someone posted that the other day...like a nationwide thing. That's what we all need to do, just to slip a "fuck you" under the radar in places like this.

[nc4bo]

34. Wasn't that for September 30th or something? But you know what? We need to do this for 11/04 too.

Great idea.

[1corona4u]

36. You could be right, I can't recall, but it's a great idea, and we need to push it

forward. After all, what could the freeps say? Nothing. It's a blue fricken shirt. :-) But we would all know...actually...what we should do, is dress Obama logo colors..same shades, not just red, white and blue, but the EXACT colors of his logo. Light blue, soft red, and white....and get it so close, it would be subliminal. :-)



Light blue pants/shorts/skirts, and a soft red and white shirt...any pattern...maybe navy shoes.




;-)

[LaStrega]

35. Don't they have anything more pressing to attend to? nt

[silverojo]

38. I've never lived in a state where political advertising gear wasn't forbidden

I thought that was the law in all states: That any political signs, buttons, etc., had to be either removed or covered up within so many feet of the polling place.

[Raine]

39. I was under the impression that you could never do that

I thought it was considered "electioneering" and was not allowed. I have never worn a button or anything into vote, cause it would seem wrong to do so. :shrug:

[and-justice-for-all]

40. Fuck them; I am waering my Obama T...

so Suck it!