But the jacket comes off before I leave the voting booth and walk out...
Posted on 10/31/2012 11:22:14 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Texas Values Assists Intimidated Voter Forced to Cover Up Her Religious T-Shirt Before Voting
Austin, TX, October 31, 2012–During early voting last week, a Texas voter in Williamson County was banned from wearing a t-shirt with the words “Vote the Bible” printed on the front. On October 24, Williamson County election workers at the Taylor City Hall polling place told Kay Hill that before she would be allowed to vote she had to turn her shirt inside out, go home and change, or cover up the words “Vote the Bible” because they “may be offensive to some people.”
After voicing disagreement numerous times, Ms. Hill ultimately complied and was forced to cover up the words “Vote the Bible.” Williamson County election workers provided her with an election worker’s jacket to cover up the “offensive” words. Ms. Hill later spoke with Williamson County Election Administrator Rick Barron who confirmed that the election workers could make this decision to ban the words “Vote the Bible.”
“It’s outrageous that a person of faith would be mistreated this way while trying to vote. If this isn’t voter intimidation, I don’t know what is?” said Jonathan Saenz, president of Texas Values. “We hope Williamson County officials step up and put an end to this injustice immediately. No one else should have to suffer the humiliation, embarrassment and intimidation that Ms. Hill endured. No one should be asked to give up their religious freedom in order to vote,” said Saenz.
Texas Values is assisting Ms. Hill in asking Williamson County to end this unfair policy immediately. Texas Values has also requested that Williamson County issue an apology to Ms. Hill and circulate instructions to all Williamson County election workers and polling places that it is permissible to vote while wearing a t-shirt with the words “Vote the Bible.”
Ms. Hill is prepared to file a formal complaint with the Texas Secretary of State’s office if Williamson County refuses to remedy this situation by 5 p.m. on Thursday, November 1, 2012.
View our Williamson County Complaint letter.
Excuse me dear, but “may be offensive to some people”, is not a violation of the law and you have no authority to make such a dermination.
Your stupidity is offensive to me and nobody’s sending you home!
Do you think if I go to vote with an “Allah Fubar” t-shirt on it will escape the censors?
Offensive?
No.
Electioneering/campaigning within 100’ of a polling place?
Arguably.
I’d dearly love to see anyone who feels like “Voting the Bible” is an ad against them as a candidate come forward and say so under oath.
Even in Austin...
Electioneering is not allowed at an active voting station.
A shirt with “Vote ‘Anything at all’” on it, won’t be allowed. It shouldn’t be.
Spread the word far and wide all you like prior to voting.
What if it had said ‘Vote the Koran’ would that have been okay?......or the Adi Granth......or the Veda?........
electioneering for who? I doubt the Bible is on the ballot
Just so. You could argue that it doesn’t say which candidates or party to vote for. And Romney is a Mormon while Obama CLAIMS to be a Christian (falsely, but that’s arguable, too).
But it still looks to me like electioneering inside the specified limits of a polling place.
Just so. You could argue that it doesn’t say which candidates or party to vote for. And Romney is a Mormon while Obama CLAIMS to be a Christian (falsely, but that’s arguable, too).
But it still looks to me like electioneering inside the specified limits of a polling place.
My daughter wore her Romney Tee shirt to early voting Saturday and nobody said a thing.............
A few thousand people need to show up on the courthouse lawn with a Vote the Bible t-shirt on.
Answer:
Of course the Bible is offensive to those who are in rebellion to the one true God and want to be their own gods.
Her heart might be in the right place, but the Kingdom of God is not a democracy, such that it needs to be voted in, or for that matter could be voted out.
I’m sure you’ll be able to point to instances like that where the election crew let something slip through, but we have to be honest with ourselves. You’re not supposed to make it through like that.
I find Obama’s name on the ballot to be offensive, but the DNC won’t remove it!
PHOENIX — A federal judge has ordered that Coconino County reisdents be allowed to wear Tea Party T-shirts when they vote next month.
But what happens elsewhere at polling places in Arizona remains in legal limbo. And it still leaves in question whether such attire is proper.
The order by U.S. District Court Judge James Teilborg specifically bars Coconino County Recorder Candace Owens or any of her election workers from blocking Diane Wickberg from voting while attired in her shirt proclaiming “Flagstaff Tea Party — Reclaiming Our Constitution Now.’’ Anyone else with the same shirt also cannot be barred from going to vote on Nov. 2.
Diane Cohen, an attorney for the Goldwater Institute which represents Wickberg, said the injunction is a preliminary victory. She said the fact the ruling legally affects only Coconino County does not mean election officials elsewhere are free to impose their own election-day clothing decisions.
http://www.yourwestvalley.com/valleyandstate/article_179fa950-dd77-11df-8815-001cc4c03286.html
2. Content based Restrictions on Speech Permissible
Although content-based regulation of political speech in schools has been found
to be impermissible, polling places are treated differently by the Supreme Court. Due to
the long tradition of free and fair elections in this county, Americans accept and
understand that some restriction on speech on election day is important. Courts and the
American public generally agree that campaign activities can and should be regulated. In Burson v. Freeman,100 the U. S. Supreme Court held that states may reasonably regulate
the content of speech and the extent to which someone may engage in campaign activities
in the area immediately surrounding a polling place. However, the Court has never
explicitly determined whether a state may regulate the political materials worn by a voter
in a polling place.
But the jacket comes off before I leave the voting booth and walk out...
8^D
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