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Michigan voters are free to take a picture of their ballot before they leave a voting booth.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has settled a 2016 lawsuit that challenged a ban on so-called ballot selfies. The ban on displaying completed ballots has been around since 1891.
Benson’s office and Joel Crookston, a voter in the Kalamazoo area, reached a deal in April. But no details were released until Wednesday, a day after local elections around Michigan.
The agreement says voters can photograph their marked ballot. They still can’t take a photo of themselves in a polling place.
In 2012, Crookston took a picture of his ballot and posted it on social media. He wasn’t challenged by election officials, but a lawyer warned him that it was illegal and could disqualify his ballot.
The state also will pay $90,000 for Crookston’s legal fees. (AP)
The agreement says voters can photograph their marked ballot. They still can’t take a photo of themselves in a polling place.
This is rule change was a stupid waste of legislative time. Voters have had the ability to download sample ballots and selfie to their hearts content.
And why did taxpayer money pay for Mr. Crookston’s legal fees when he was in clear violation? They were for a separate lawsuit against the state, not anything to do with court costs or legal fees since nothing was done to him about the violation during or after he broke the rule. Isn’t unfairly milking the taxpayer what he and his fellow Tea Party members claim to stand for?