Camera's banned from polling places!

[RocketFoot]

Looks like another amendment is bitting the dust!

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/...s=pit&psp=news

WESTMORELAND CO., Pa. -- Planning to take your cell phone along with you to vote? You may want to leave it at home. At least four local counties have decided to ban cameras from the polls, and not just cameras from the media, but anyone carrying a cell phone, too.If you have a cell phone it probably has a camera. But you will have to keep in your pocket or purse on Election Day in some local counties, who want no part of a national effort to chronicle polls.Inside the polls, workers will ask you to put the cell phone away and if you don’t, a constable could confiscate it or even escort you off the property.

This could be the case in Westmoreland County where officials have put a ban in place. They said cameras, including Channel 4’s cameras and the local newspapers will distract first-time voters.Westmoreland County is not alone. Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties have also banned cameras from the polls.“There’s probably going to be about 20 percent of the people that vote that haven’t voted on the machines before,” said Westmoreland County Commissioner Tom Ceraso. “We just want them to feel their vote is private, their vote is secure.”The Westmoreland ban was prompted by an effort called “Video The Vote,” which is a way to keep watch on democracy, according to YouTube and PBS.The PA League of Young Voters say footage of voting mishaps posted online and on the air almost guarantees a fix.“People make mistakes,” said Liz Rincon of the PA League of Young Voters. “We understand that. But if we document that on TV, then that means somebody has to be held accountable.”They also say cell phone pictures encourage young voters.“Young people can get more and more excited and see what it takes to cast the ballot and what to expect. What does it look like, inside of a polling place, what do the voting machines look like,” said Terry Griffin also of the PA League of Young Voters.Police will not arrest you for using your cell phone camera inside the polls, but they say if you cause a disturbance when you are asked to put it away, you could face a summary disorderly conduct charge.

[jpavoncello]

York County has been doing that for years. When we cover the elections, we have to stay outside the building the polls are located in. There is no actual law about it, it's up to each county's director of elections to decide.

[clarion44]

Oh ok, but you're still taking your gun though right? hahaha

[CZ40P]

Well with all of the A.C.O.R.N. inspired voter fraud that is expected, it seems only natural that no evidence is desired.

After all some of these new voters may have to vote a few times, to make up for all the years they never voted. It's only fair, Right.

[Adam-12]

I'm a newly-appointed Constable in Allegheny county, and I believe such a ban is illegal and an infringement of the voters' rights.

(25 P.S. § 3506) forbids "Refusal to permit overseers, watchers, attorneys or candidates to act." It doesn't specifically allow or forbid camera and video, but the only limitation I see is (25 P.S. § 3526), "Prying into ballots," and a few similar statutes. In other words, it's only a definite crime if someone's trying to see a person's actual vote.

That being the case, I have no intention of enforcing such a rule on my own hook. If the election officers direct me to do so, I'm over a barrel: it's also an offense for a constable to "fail to do his duty" or to "hinder election officers," etc. I don't know what they'll tell me, nor what I'll run into, so I can't make specific plans, but I certainly intend to do as little as possible to enforce such an improper rule.

[Adam-12]

York County has been doing that for years. When we cover the elections, we have to stay outside the building the polls are located in. There is no actual law about it, it's up to each county's director of elections to decide.

They probably have latitude to keep you outside based on two statutory points. First, it's an offense to "hinder" the election, including pretty much anything from blocking the doorway to vandalizing a voting booth. And second, it's an offense to tamper with or pry into anyone's vote.

So if the polls are in a tight space, they can reasonably argue that gawkers (1) get in the way, and/or (2) may see people's ballots.

[knight0334]

I know some of you all may not agree, but I can see how taking photo's can be a tool of intimidation.

Some folks are closet voters, some are open about voting.

[Adam-12]

I know some of you all may not agree, but I can see how taking photo's can be a tool of intimidation.

If I see a burly biker with an "Obama!" button sticking a movie camera in an old lady's face, I'll consider that "disturbing the peace."

Photography is allowed in public (which is how paparazzi even exist), because... it's public. Any bystander is allowed to look. It's perfectly legal to wear a Darth Vader mask while waiting outside the polling place, if you're afraid to be recognized. Or a Michael Jackson burqa, maybe.

[Dredly]

Not to be the conspiracy theorist but I wonder how much of this is to prevent the backlash of voter machine fraud that could be very easily documented with the use of video.

There are already a very large number of reports of votes being changed by the machine, the machine not marking the correct box that was selected... etc having video proof would definately make people investigate closer and thats now what the polling places want.

[RandomTask]

Someday, voting will be banned from polling places.