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No political buttons, no campaign T-shirts or no voting

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: October 24, 2008 - Many voters may want to don their "Southside for Obama" T-shirts and "Pitbull with Lipstick" Sarah Palin buttons this Election Day. But if you're thinking of wearing them into the polling place when you vote, local election authorities say, think again. Wearing campaign shirts, buttons, hats or such into a polling place violates Missouri and Illinois electioneering laws.

In Missouri, no item endorsing a candidate or issue may be brought within 25 feet of a polling place. That includes shirts, buttons, hats, stickers or any other wearable item that a voter might have on while going to vote.

If someone is wearing one of these items into a polling place, he or she will be asked to remove it or to make sure a shirt's endorsement is not visible -- either by turning the shirt inside out or by covering it with a jacket.

In Illinois, the same rules apply within 100 feet of a polling place. Election officials will follow the same procedures if a voter enters a polling place.

While officials say they expect some people to wear campaign shirts or buttons into the polling places, they say they're prepared to work with voters so they won't have to leave the polls.

"Nobody is going to be asked to leave unless they won't take it off," St. Charles County Director of Elections Rich Chismer said. Judges will "politely" ask the person to remove the items or to hide it with a jacket.

Missouri and Illinois law prohibits electioneering within a certain distance of a polling place. In Missouri, that distance is 25 feet. In Illinois, it's 100 feet.

Most people think of electioneering either as signs endorsing candidates or campaign workers handing out literature or stickers beyond that line. But both state laws include wearing clothes or other things that endorse a candidate or issue.

Generally, officials said, people coming into the polls don't know they are violating the law.

When that happens, it can be a headache. Eric Fey of the St. Louis County Board of Elections said, "It's one of those issues that distracts the poll workers because if you're fighting with somebody who doesn't want to take this shirt off, you're not filling out paperwork and issuing ballots to voters. Usually, people are pretty good about it."

Officials have spent extra time training their staffs on the issue because many new voters may not be aware of the law.

Mark Von Nida, county clerk for Illinois' Madison County, said while election officials want to make sure things go smoothly, he hesitates to stress campaign clothing as an issue.

"Now, do I think that wearing a button is going to change anybody's mind?" Von Nida said. "No. I think it's a very slippery slope to regulate what voters are wearing."

Clothing as electioneering can cause big problems, Von Nida said, especially if judges are not aware of the issue themselves. He cited an example from San Francisco where poll workers wore gear from the San Francisco 49ers to work an election day. The race featured a referendum to build a new football stadium. Eventually, because of the jerseys and other gear, the results of the election were thrown out by the courts, he said.

He worries that the issue, particularly in a contentious election year, could be used to prevent people from voting.

"Here's my concern: Where do you draw the line?" Von Nida asked. "Throw out the Obama shirt but not the one with a political slogan like 'Pro-Life'?"

To prevent that, he, like other election officials, has hired extra workers to prevent problems before they begin.

"Nobody should be turned away from voting because of what they are wearing," Von Nida said.

Amelia Flood is a freelance writer in St. Louis.