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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
What not to wear…to the polls.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ahh, political fashion.
Like this?
Rasheed Aziz of Dallas sells T-shirts and sweatshirts outside a stop Democratic candidate Barack Obama in Jackson, Miss. in March.
Or maybe this is more your style?
Melinda Mock displays her allegiance during breakfast at the Fulton County Republican HQ in Sandy Springs in October.
Not on Nov. 4, it isn’t, at least not when you head to the polls.
The Georgia Code doesn’t allow any kind of campaigning or electioneering with 150 feet of a polling place on Election Day, and the Secretary of State’s office considers wearing a shirt, button, hat, lapel pin or sticker with a candidate’s name or face just that. We’re not the only state with those kinds of rules, either.
You can find the law in the Georgia Code, sections 21-2-413 and 21-2-414, and on page six of the Georgia Poll Worker Training Manual.
This election has given voters some interesting ways to show off to show off their political pride, but Matt Carrothers, director of media relations for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, says they’re not worried about people trying to break the rules.
The law isn’t new, he says, and poll workers are well aware of it. Expect to be asked to cover it up or come back without it.
“Those rules are in place to protect the sanctity of the polling place and make sure that no voter is pressured or subject to undue influence and electioneering by another voter,” Carrothers told me.
If it helps at all, you can wear that peachy little “I’m a Georgia voter” sticker on the way out.
Other election resources:
Georgia Secretary of State’s Election Center: early voting information, voter ID information, poll locater, election results.
Georgia Voter Guide: builds your ballot and introduces you to the candidates.
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