No Pictures Please

It's the law. Don't take photos in the voting booth.

Simple enough, eh? Yet here we are, in the era of the selfie, so ya just know some self-absorbed schmuck is gonna pull out that smartphone and snap away -- and then share it on social media. Odds are no one will notice. Odds are nothing will happen, no one will care.

Unless, of course, you happen to be running for district attorney.

It's behind a paywall, but don't worry. I was quoted in the story and the reporter sent me a copy. I won't post it all here, but I'll hit the high points. Here's the lede by Amanda Thomas of the Douglas County (Ga.) Sentinel:

A photo of a ballot posted on the Facebook page of Douglas County District Attorney candidate Dalia Racine is reportedly being investigated by the Secretary of State’s office.

Racine put a photo of her electronic ballot on Facebook, along with a pic of her holding a "I voted" sticker. When the reporter called to ask about it, the photo, coincidentally I'm sure, disappeared (the reporter got a screen grab before it disappeared). But the campaign never returned the reporter's calls or commented. Dumb. She should just make a joke of it ("I just wanted everyone to know I voted for myself"), apologize, and move on. Clearly she has no campaign adviser, or at least no adviser with a clue. And, as I was quoted in the story:

“There is a great irony in the fact that someone running for the chief law enforcement officer of the county would violate the law in the voting booth,” Hollander said.

Now she's likely to be investigated for this, though apparently not by the incumbent DA due to a conflict of interest. Now that's a smart candidate.

If you're dying to see the story, I can email it to you, otherwise I try to respect a paywall.

Oh, the law itself, from the story:

O.C.G.A. Section 21-2-413(e) states, “No person shall use photographic or other electronic monitoring or recording devices, cameras, or cellular telephones while such person is in a polling place while voting is taking place.”