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    See a map of states that ban campaign clothing

    Harry Posted on

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    Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, and if you’re heading to the polls there are some things to remember.

    Voting is exciting, and people may want to show their support for the candidate they support by wearing a button with their name on it, or even a t-shirt or hat. But they may be asked to change clothes or remove their hats or buttons before entering the polling place, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

    This can affect anyone, depending on where they live.

    Why can’t I wear a political shirt when I go to the polls?

    Wearing campaign gear to go to the polls might seem as innocent as Swifty wearing a shirt with the pop star’s face on it or a button-up with the lyrics to “Cruel Summer” written on it, but it’s not that simple.

    Wearing campaign items is seen as electioneering, where people try to persuade others to vote for a particular party or issue. Cambridge Dictionary.

    Wearing campaign clothing is banned in 21 states, according to the NCSL.

    What are campaign clothes?

    Campaign clothing can be:

    • Clothing – Such as shirts, pants, dresses or other clothing items
    • hats
    • buttons
    • stickers
    • banners

    What happens if you accidentally wear a candidate’s product while going to the elections?

    It depends. Louisiana, which is not on NCSL’s list of states that ban the clothing, is still asking people not to wear campaign items.

    Lousianna’s Deputy Secretary of State for Communications Joel Watson told USA TODAY that voters there are not allowed to wear campaign clothing within 200 feet of the polls.

    Anyone who shows up at a polling place in Louisiana wearing a button-up, hat, shirt or other campaign attire “will be asked to either turn the shirt inside out, remove the button, (and) put it back in their car. Same goes for the hat,” Watson said. “If they refuse to do so , they will be asked to leave.”

    But asking people to leave is the worst-case scenario.

    “We want to give people a chance to vote,” he said. “So we asked them to remove those specific items before returning to the polling place.”

    What can you wear?

    Watson recommends that people avoid wearing anything that:

    • Candidate’s name
    • The candidate’s slogan is; like former President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” or Vice President Harris’ slogan “When we fight, we win.”
    • Attire that expresses support or opposition to a change on the ballot – For example, a button that says “Vote Yes on 4”

    “If it’s not electioneering, it’s allowed,” Watson said.

    Which states don’t allow this?

    These data are according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. States marked in yellow with “yes” on them are states where this is completely prohibited. States in blue with a “no” are states that are not banned, although the rules can still change, as in Louisiana, so double-check before heading out to vote.

    Violence against election clothes

    The ban on election products is not new. Yet a voter was attacked in Texas election clerkAccording to previous reporting by USA TODAY, the 69-year-old voter said he could not wear his red “Make America Great Again” hat at the polls because it was against the law.

    Jesse Lutzenberger, 63, was arrested Oct. 24 “after punching the victim several times in the face,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a news conference the day after the incident.

    The clerk was working at a polling place in Bexar County, Texas, which includes San Antonio.

    In Texas, wearing a hat such as a MAGA or “Harris Walz” baseball cap is considered electioneering and is not allowed within 100 feet of a polling place entrance, according to the NCSL.

    Lutzenberger was charged with injury to an elderly person and faces a third-degree felony.

    Contributors: Thao Nguyen; USA TODAY

    Julia is USA TODAY’s trends reporter. You can connect with it LinkedInfollow him x, formerly known as Twitter instagram And tiktok: @juliamariegz or email her at [email protected]

    Harry
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