Illinois: How a ballot selfie could put you in jail – IOTW Report

Illinois: How a ballot selfie could put you in jail

IP:

Early voting is upon us in Illinois. Mail-in ballots are free to fly.

But don’t dare take a picture of your vote.

Snapping a photo of your filled-in ballot and posting it on Facebook or Instagram is technically a Class 4 felony in Illinois, which comes with a prison sentence of one to three years. According to the Illinois Election Code, anyone who “knowingly” casts his or her ballot in a way that “can be observed by another person” is breaking the law.

While more than a dozen other states also forbid the ballot selfie, Illinois appears to be the only one where the “offense” is clearly classified as a felony. But it seems no one on record has been arrested for it.

So why is this still on the books?

6 Comments on Illinois: How a ballot selfie could put you in jail

  1. Probably a relic of the ‘Daley Machine’ era. Didn’t want any verifiable competition to their ‘official’ vote manufacturing, um, er, I mean, counting.
    Proglowsites love to criminalize everything when they run the show.

    TWD

    8
  2. I would think showing or giving the ballot to another, for mailing or not, could be a crime. Could. Showing the ballot would provide confirmation for reimbursement, giving it would allow for possible disposal. A photo of an uncounted ballot is meaningless in today’s photoshop world.
    perfect opportunity for a scam, too:
    get ballot in mail
    photocopy ballot X100
    fill out all copies
    photos
    email uncle georgie
    get moneys

    3

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