Mon., November 1, 2010 1:03pm (EDT)

No Tea Party Shirts at Polls
By Susanna Capelouto
Updated: 3 years ago

No party t-shirts, including Tea Party, will be allowed at polling precincts (Image courtesy cristyli)
No party t-shirts, including Tea Party, will be allowed at polling precincts (Image courtesy cristyli)
This will be the first election where the new Tea Party movement could play a strong role with a lot of motivated voters. But if people want to show off their enthusiasm with any Tea Party paraphernalia at the polls they may be stopped from doing so.

Georgia Law is clear about advocating for a candidate or a party at a polling place say Matt Carrothers with the Secretary of State’s office. It’s not allowed.

“Nobody, no voters or people in the voting precinct is allowed to campaign or wear any campaign paraphernalia. They have to remain 150 feet from the precinct.”

And that, he says, includes tea party t-shirts even though it is not a registered party. Two years ago, he says, people who had just the words Hope or Change on a T-shirt, for example, were not allowed either. Whether some clothing qualifies as illegal is at the discretion of the poll manager.