Buzz
You've probably heard of individuals facing trouble for snapping selfies at polling stations, but is it truly unlawful to take a picture with your ballot? It may depend on where you live.
While it’s understandable to want to share your moment of civic pride, 18 states have laws that ban ballot selfies. These laws aim to avoid voter coercion; a picture of your completed ballot could potentially verify your vote to others. However, 19 states permit it. According to the AP, here’s a list of states where selfies are permitted:
Connecticut, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., and Wyoming
Here’s a list of places where ballot selfies are not permitted:
Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
The other 13 states remain uncertain on the issue. It’s probably safer to be cautious and snap a photo outside the polling station with your voting sticker instead.
