Michigan lawmakers demanded no selfies while voting in 2016.  Did Michigan and any other states change course?

On October 28th, 2016 Michiganders found out that if they took a selfie while voting they could lose their vote in the 2016 Presidential election.  In 2016 a Portage man sued the state of Michigan for his right to take a selfie or a picture of his ballot.  They ended up settling that case in May of 2019.  The end result?  You CAN take a picture of your own ballot inside your voting booth only.  You CANNOT take a selfie.

There's a lot of conflicting info floating around on the internet.  Imagine that.  BallotPedia.org is a pretty reliable source when looking up info on local, regional, and National candidates.  However, their "Ballot Selfie Regulations by State" map could be easily misunderstood.  It shows Michigan as "Yes."  To be clear, the law has not changed since May of 2019.  Here is what you are NOT allowed to do according to the Secretary of State at Michigan.gov,

  • Taking “selfies” of themselves, either in the voting booth or anywhere within the area where people are voting.
  • Taking any other type of photograph within the area where people are voting.
  • Sharing images of a voted ballot within 100 feet from the polling place – the buffer zone where electioneering is prohibited.

To be clear, you CANNOT take a selfie while voting.  You can take a picture of your ballot, but you cannot share that photo until you are 100 feet from the polling place.

By the way, avoid the line on November 3rd.  You can vote early, right now in Michigan.  Find the Clerk's office for your district.  It only takes a couple of minutes to sign and date an application.  Then you vote.  It took me about 10-15 minutes at most last Tuesday.

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