The problems you may face at the polls

So let me, uh, uh, start by asking this.

Why did you write this guide?

I think there's a lot of confusion about what is allowed to happen at polling places, what isn't.

I think that, you know, in the last two decades when I have been covering elections in Philadelphia, I think everybody knows this, that with the growth of social media and a lot of the sentiment out there in the country on both sides, things have gotten a lot more out of hand and contentious, and we have to think about voter intimidation in a way that we really didn't think about it quite so much.

Well, let's just dive right in here, 'cause you've got a lot of, like, really interesting questions for us to chew over.

Uh, the very first being, let's say somebody shows up at the polls and you notice that there is a poll worker wearing a Josh Shapiro T-shirt that's standing next to your voting machine.

Um, what do you think about that? Is that okay?

It's absolutely not okay.

Uh, the term for that in Pennsylvania law is electioneering.

It's forbidden.

Mm.

There actually can't be any campaign materials...

Now, this gets a little technical and wonky.

Okay.

There can't be any campaign materials within, within 10 feet of the door to the room where voting machines are, or in the room itself.

Now, one of the more prominent violations of this kind of thing came in 2012.

It actually wound up being a national story.

There was a mural of Barack Obama inside the room where people were voting at a place in Northeast Philadelphia, and poll workers actually were forced to cover him up because of how that might influence how people are voting.

Okay, so, so no clothing that has political messages.

So someone can't show up with, like, their MAGA cap on.

Okay, so I want to make a distinction here.

Uh-

Okay

...

the rules about clothing and p- buttons and things like that apply-

So let me, uh, uh, start by asking this.

Why did you write this guide?

I think there's a lot of confusion about what is allowed to happen at polling places, what isn't.

I think that, you know, in the last two decades when I have been covering elections in Philadelphia, I think everybody knows this, that with the growth of social media and a lot of the sentiment out there in the country on both sides, things have gotten a lot more out of hand and contentious, and we have to think about voter intimidation in a way that we really didn't think about it quite so much.

Well, let's just dive right in here, 'cause you've got a lot of, like, really interesting questions for us to chew over.

Uh, the very first being, let's say somebody shows up at the polls and you notice that there is a poll worker wearing a Josh Shapiro T-shirt that's standing next to your voting machine.

Um, what do you think about that? Is that okay?

It's absolutely not okay.

Uh, the term for that in Pennsylvania law is electioneering.

It's forbidden.

Mm.

There actually can't be any campaign materials...

Now, this gets a little technical and wonky.

Okay.

There can't be any campaign materials within, within 10 feet of the door to the room where voting machines are, or in the room itself.

Now, one of the more prominent violations of this kind of thing came in 2012.

It actually wound up being a national story.

There was a mural of Barack Obama inside the room where people were voting at a place in Northeast Philadelphia, and poll workers actually were forced to cover him up because of how that might influence how people are voting.

Okay, so, so no clothing that has political messages.

So someone can't show up with, like, their MAGA cap on.

Okay, so I want to make a distinction here.

Uh-

Okay

...

the rules about clothing and p- buttons and things like that apply-