At least three men across the Dallas-Forth Worth area were cited this election season for electioneering at a polling place, local authorities said.
Electioneering, or the act of trying to persuade people to vote a certain way within 100 feet of the entrance to a polling place, is against the law in Texas. This includes the posting or carrying of political signs, or distributing literature. The same section of the Texas code also prohibits wearing political clothing if the candidate or issue on the clothing item is on the ballot that election.
Voters are generally first asked to turn their shirts inside out or leave accessories in their vehicles. Those who refuse can be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, resulting in a $500 fine.
Some municipalities also have their own local codes against electioneering.
At the Elzie Odom Recreation Center in Arlington, a man was cited for his t-shirt in support of a political candidate, according to Tim Ciesco, spokesperson for the Arlington police. He arrived on Oct. 30 during the early voting period and refused repeated requests to cover the t-shirt or turn it inside out, resulting in the citation from Arlington police, Ciesco said.
It was not immediately clear who the t-shirt was in support of or if the man, who was not identified, was able to vote at a later time.
On Election Day, McKinney police issued citations to two people for electioneering at the John and Judy Gay Library, authorities said.
Matthew Thorsen, 46, had signs posted inside his windshield while the vehicle was on city property, according to McKinney spokesperson Denise Lessard. Police spoke to him at about 11:24 a.m. and asked them to remove the signs. He was subsequently issued a citation under McKinney’s city code. It was not immediately clear what the signs said.
Later in the day at 2:08 p.m., Thorsen returned with a flag and tied it around his neck. Lessard did not share what the flag said, but records show Thorsen was issued a second citation.
Thorsen told The Dallas Morning News Thursday that he didn’t arrive at the polls knowing he was breaking an ordinance, but disagreed with the ordinance and said it violated his constitutional rights. He said he returned later to the site because he was a volunteer handing out sample ballots as well as to hold a sign against one of the ballot propositions.
A second man, 53-year-old Chad Green, had signs and a flag attached to his vehicle when code compliance officials spoke to him at about 1:19 p.m. and requested their removal, records show. Green refused to comply, saying it was unconstitutional, and was issued a citation under the city code, according to records. He had previously encountered McKinney Code Compliance staff on Oct. 30 during early voting, Lessard said.
Green told The News on Thursday that he did not comply because he was outside the 100-foot zone mentioned in state law and his truck is his private property. He also said some residents have been consistently upset with McKinney’s enforcement of electioneering rules.
“They’ve gone so far that it’s really intruding on free speech,” Green said. “It’s very intimidating.”
Other counties and municipalities, including Fort Worth, Plano and Dallas County, did not report any electioneering issues.
