As tempting as it might be to post a photo of a ballot on Election Day, it’s also illegal in some states.
According to the Citizen Media Law Project, it is against state law to use photographic and recording equipment of any kind inside a polling place in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Texas.
Some states consider violations a misdemeanor, and others say it is a felony that could be punishable with jail time. Some states are ambiguous and some are crystal clear about the rules concerning cameras at the polls.
While state law does not prohibit all recording inside polling places, taking photos or video of your own marked ballot is illegal in Iowa.
Iowa election law states, “The use of cameras, cellular telephones, pagers, or other electronic communications devices in the voting booth is prohibited.”
Illinois law does not expressly prohibit cameras at the polls but it appears to prohibit sharing your completed ballot with others. Illinois Compiled Statutes 5/29-9 from Chapter 46, paragraph 29-9 states, “Any person who knowingly marks his ballot or casts his vote on a voting machine or voting device so that it can be observed by another person, and any person who knowingly observes another person lawfully marking a ballot or lawfully casting his vote on a voting machine or voting device, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.”
