You’ve registered to vote, researched the candidates, located your polling place, and created a safe voting plan for November 3rd, so your already to vote then? Not quite. If you plan to vote in person this year you may have one more item to check off on your pre-Election day to-do list: Deciding what to wear.
I get it, Election Day is a BIG deal, and you may want to look the part, but what you wear to the polls might matter more than you think… and no I’m not talking about nailing your outfit to match your #IVoted sticker selfie.
Did you know that most states bans on campaigning within a certain distance of polling places, and depending on where you live, that can even mean what you are wearing. So you might want to leave that “Joe 2020” tee or MAGA hat at home.
Richard Hasen, who is a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine explained, "The laws are specific to each state, and they are enforced by poll workers, What one can wear, and whether other laws might violate the First Amendment, would have to be determined on a case by case basis."
With early voting underway and Election day just a week away, what can you- or more pressingly, can’t you wear to vote?
Every state has a different set of restrictions at voting locations, states like California, Delaware, Kansas, Montana, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Vermont have bared voters from wearing any item that endorses or advertises a political candidate. Items might include (but are not limited to): hats, t-shirts, buttons, and this year, masks.
Some states, like Maine, are a little more lenient, allowing voters to wear a button, but it cannot exceed 3 inches in size. Or in Iowa, you can rock your campaign t-shirt to the polls, you just have to leave as soon as your ballot is completed.
What is less clear is if movement slogans such as #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, or #SupporOurTroops could be turned away by poll workers.
To learn more about what your states rules are checkout this table created by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
Voting via absentee ballot? Wear whatever you want! If you are voting in person this year, be mindful of what you wear when you vote.
If at the polls and you believe you're being unfairly denied the right to vote because of something you're wearing, call the Election Protection coalition's hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) or the Department of Justice's voting rights hotline (800-253-3931).
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/14/us/election-what-not-to-wear-trnd/index.html
About the Author: Taylor Genter Taylor is the Marketing Specialist at Extract with experience in data analytics, graphic design, and both digital and social media marketing. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater. Taylor enjoys analyzing people’s behaviors and attitudes to find out what motivates them, and then curating better ways to communicate with them.