In an effort to avoid what I expect - and hope - will be large crowds on election day and having decided which candidates would get my votes, I went to the North River Civic Center this morning to do early voting. After standing outside in line for quite some time, I finally made it inside where I stood in line for several more minutes before being approached by a poll worker who informed me that it is illegal for me to be wearing my Gary Johnson T-shirt at the polling place.
Well, after 20 or more minutes of waiting in line, I definitely didn't want to leave - or even have to get out of line. I considered just stripping my shirt off, turning it wrong side out, and putting it back on. I'm sure that would've gotten lots more notice from other voters than the T-shirt had gotten.
It was very fortunate for me - and for everyone else - however, that a kind lady behind me in line loaned me her cardigan so that I could cover my "illegal" shirt. Thank you very much, ma'am!
When I got home, I looked up polling place regulations related to apparel and found that "it is the opinion of the Coordinator of Elections, State of Tennessee," that wearing this shirt constitutes campaigning inside the 100 foot boundary.
Since when is someone's opinion a law? It is my opinion that my right to wear the shirt, which bears no offensive language or pictures, falls under my 1st Amendment rights. But I suppose my opinion doesn't really matter, since I'm just a voter.
Glenda Roy