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With early voting underway in many states for the 2024 election, a lot of voters are already heading to the polls. In 21 states, the outfit they wear there matters.
Almost half of U.S. states prohibit anyone from wearing campaign apparel or buttons within a certain distance of a polling location, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. This applies to people working for campaigns and organizations as well as voters heading in to cast their ballots.
States with restrictions include Arkansas, California, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Vermont.
These states’ electioneering laws prohibit people from wearing anything that displays a political party, candidate name or ballot issue, which includes shirts, hats, buttons and stickers. In many places, this isn’t allowed within 50 to 100 feet of the entrance to a voting site, but in places like Kansas and Maine, the bans apply to a 250-foot distance.
The rest of the states and Washington, D.C. don’t allow people to have campaign materials, signs, banners or literature within or near polling places but don’t have guidelines on what someone can wear to vote.
All of these regulations are part of state laws limiting electioneering at or near voting sites, which ensures that people aren’t influencing voters at polling places to vote for a certain candidate, party or issue.
The biggest takeaway: if you live in one of the 21 states listed above and don’t want to get kicked out of your polling place before you get the chance to vote, leave your party-affiliated clothing and accessories at home.
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/in-21-states-your-polling-place-attire-could-prevent-you-from-voting/