Civil liberties group sues over California ballot selfies

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

The group wants people to be able to take photos at polling stations and at home or elsewhere if they’ve received a vote-by-mail ballot and post them online or share them with friends and family.

War in Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine exchange attacks, killing and wounding dozens while Zelenskyy calls for more talks

2h ago

Heading north

Experts report a surge in interest among American academics looking to move to Canada

3h ago

Weather alerts lifted

Some highways still affected by late season snowstorm

6h ago

“People increasingly use photographs of their marked ballot as a way to express their support for candidates and issues,” Michael Risher, a senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Northern California, said in a statement. “This is core political speech at the heart of the First Amendment.”

In a court document responding to the suit, the secretary of state’s office said it was not taking a position on the First Amendment claim.

Instead, the office challenged the suit as late and said an injunction just days before the election would be disruptive, “potentially causing voter and poll worker confusion, delays at the polls, and inconsistent interpretation of the law at the thousands of polling locations across the state.”

Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement that he supported the new law allowing ballot selfies and would abide by any decision the court makes.

There are laws against sharing any photo of your ballot in 18 states , while six others bar photography in polling places but do allow photos of mail-in ballots.

Federal judges have struck down bans on selfies in New Hampshire and Indiana, and a lawsuit filed last month challenged New York state’s ban.

Sudhin Thanawala, The Associated Press