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Two federal judges in two separate cases on opposite sides of the country have denied efforts to legalize ballot selfies, just days before the presidential election.
On Thursday, a federal judge in New York rejected plaintiffs’ attempts to halt an existing state and New York City law that bans the practice. The judge wrestled with balancing First Amendment rights and the public policy interest in keeping a secret ballot so that voting is not unduly influenced.
“The absence of recent evidence of this kind of voter bribery or intimidation does not mean that the motivation to engage in such conduct no longer exists,” US District Judge P. Kevin Castel wrote. “Rather, it is consistent with the continued effectiveness of the New York statute.”
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Source: Ars Technica – Judges in New York, California won’t halt ban on ballot selfies