A reminder to everyone, that in most places it is illegal to take a photograph of your completed ballot. The reasoning is that documenting your vote could lead to vote buying. In a year when some employers were allegedly pressuring their employees to vote for a particular candidate, it seems like those concerns are merited. Not allowing you to have documentation of your vote means that no one can demand proof that you voted a particular way. That is, if you feel coerced to vote a particular way you could lie, and the person wouldn’t be able to know for sure how your vote was cast.
If you want to show the world that you voted, post a picture of your “I Voted” sticker or your voting receipt. (Seriously, why don’t we have “I voted” stickers in Chicago?) Don’t risk a fine or imprisonment. Keep your ballot to yourself.
One exception may be to document voting machine malfunctions. If you experience a voting machine anomaly get what evidence you can, and be sure to report it.
Kim Z. Dale 