‘Leave it at home’: A reminder that wearing or doing certain things at the polls could get you in trouble
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Whether it’s wearing a campaign hat or T-shirt, taking a selfie with your ballot, bringing your kids along or telling people who you voted for, Oklahoma election officials want voters to know there's a number of things that you can and cannot legally do when going to the election polls.
Officials with the Oklahoma State Election Board say every year, poll workers occasionally have to ask people to leave polling locations for violating the state’s law, which bans electioneering in or near a polling place.
While rare, election officials say the most-common violation is voters who inadvertently wear shirts or hats containing a political campaign’s logo or slogan inside a polling location.
“You cannot electioneer within 300 feet of the entrance to a polling place or early voting site or the last person who's standing in line at that polling place,” said Misha Mohr, an election board spokesperson.
“Electioneering” is any verbal or visual advocacy, in support or opposition, of a candidate or item appearing on ballots, or on any future ballot.
It includes, but is not limited to, politically charged clothes, signs, audio recording and videos.
“If you're wearing a T-shirt or a button hat, maybe you've got a water bottle with the candidate printed on It or any type of material that may be considered electioneering,” Mohr said.
Mohr said, if you want to wear clothes supporting a candidate on election day, make sure you change into something else before getting out of your car at your polling place. If you don’t have a change of clothes, you’re not completely out of luck.
“You can always put a jacket over that T-shirt or you can turn the T-shirt inside out,” she said.
Mohr said law bans people from displaying any sort of “printed material” at all in or with 300 feet of a polling place, unless it was issued by election officials.
“The exception to that is if, for instance, you perhaps made notes about the candidates or issues you wanted to vote for, maybe you printed off a sample ballot,” Mohr said.
She said you are allowed to bring in things like voter’s guides as well, but you need to keep them out of view until you begin filling out of you ballot.
Mohr said collecting signatures from people to support getting an item on a future ballot is also considered electioneering, if done within 300 feet of a polling place’s door or the last person in line at a polling place.
Beyond that, she says only voters are allowed inside polling locations.
If you’re not there to vote, you have to stay at least 50 feet outside the door.
“You can't stand outside the polling place and chit chat with neighbors and other friends,” Mohr said.
There are some exceptions to that rule.
Disabled people are allowed to bring someone inside to help them vote.
Parents are allowed to keep their children with them as well.
Mohr said, if you do have someone else with you when you go to vote, you cannot discuss your vote with them until you’ve left the polling place.
“You cannot disclose how you voted to anyone, either electronically or verbally or on the phone until you have actually left that election enclosure.”
She said voters are allowed to do things like take photos or selfies with their filled-out ballots, but they cannot post or share the pictures with anyone until they have left the polling place.
Mohr said oftentimes polling place rules can change depending on situation or the physical location, and there is no single exhaustive list of everything that is and isn’t allowed.
Because of that, Mohr says her best advice for voters is to 'err on the side of caution' when they go to the polls.
“If you have concerns or aren't sure whether it's considered electioneering, leave it at home or leave it in the car before you go in to vote,” Mohr said.
Early voting begins in Oklahoma on October 30.