SAN ANTONIO – Late last week, a man was arrested for allegedly punching a poll worker who asked him to take off his Make America Great Again hat while he was at the polls.
Texas law prohibits voters from wearing clothing or accessories that support or oppose a specific candidate, party, or measure within 100 feet of a polling location.
The offense of electioneering is a Class C misdemeanor with up to a $500 fine.
Voters cannot wear these items with campaign affiliation:
-
Shirts
-
Buttons/pins
If a voter forgets and wears a campaign shirt, they will be asked to turn it inside out, or they might be denied entrance.
KSAT wanted to know if voters knew the specifics of the law, and at a San Antonio polling site, voters of all ages gave mixed answers.
“I just recently became aware that we cannot wear any political gear or anything like that,” said Anthony Rogers.
Others knew about verbal campaigning but not about the clothing.
“I just saw the newscasts and found out about it this year. But I knew you couldn’t be advertising for a particular candidate, and you couldn’t get within 100 feet for a long time now,” said Albert P. Pena.
Other voters were fully in the know.
“I definitely knew about it. I think I’ve known basically as long as I’ve been able to vote,” said voter Cayley Rutherford-Olson.
Regardless of political party, those voters all agreed on the importance of these rules.
“I think it’s critical for our democracy,” Rogers said.
“I feel like no one should feel pressured any which way whenever they’re coming to cast their decision,” Rutherford-Olson said.
“That person has the right to choose whoever he wants or she wants and without a whole lot of influence,” Pena said.
The suggestion is to brush up on all the rules before heading to the polls since once people show up at the location, they must turn their phones off.
Other rules to know:
-
While concealed carry is legal in Texas, voters cannot bring their guns within 100 feet of polling locations.
-
No loudspeakers or sound amplification of political/campaign speech or promotion (and that includes loud sounds from vehicles) can be used within 1,000 feet.
One election day staple voters can and should proudly wear is the ‘I Voted’ sticker.
The Secretary of State’s website has a breakdown of voting protocols.
You can also visit KSAT’s Vote 2024 page, refreshed daily with new election-related articles.