Ballot photograph has voter on thin ice
Posted on: Wednesday, 15 April 2009, 10:14 CDT
An unidentified individual is facing up to a year in prison for posting a photo of his ballot for mayor of O'Fallon, Mo., online, officials say.
State and country officials said the punishment for willfully sharing a completed ballot represents a class-four election offense that also comes with a $2,500 fine, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Wednesday.
St. Charles County Elections Director Rich A. Chrismer said he is seeking to prosecute the voter, who tabbed St. Louis Blues player T.J. Oshie, 22, as a write-in candidate for mayor.
They may have thought the photo was cute but it was very serious,
Chrismer said of the photo of the ballot that appeared on an Oshie fan Web site.
Chrismer added that voter ballots aren't traceable by name but said he will attempt to learn the voting prankster's identity through the Web site.
You can't violate something as sacred as the ballot,
Chrismer told the Post-Dispatch. People won't trust going to a polling place if they think somebody is walking around with a camera.
Source: United Press International
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User Comments (37)
| 37. |
Posted by GORDON on 04/18/2009, 16:36 ""People won't trust going to a polling place if they think somebody is walking around with a camera." Uhhh... doesn't everyone pretty much walk around with cameras, these days? My cell phone has one. |
| 36. |
Posted by Ron Powers on 04/18/2009, 07:42 Why, of course! This IS Missouri - where the first amendment has been eradicated from the bill of rights. |
| 35. |
Posted by Ron Powers on 04/18/2009, 07:26 "You can't violate something as sacred as the ballot." Has anyone heard of Al Franken? |
| 34. |
Posted by BigDaddyDK on 04/18/2009, 01:04 I vote absentee and my name is physically on my ballot. By voting abroad I do not have secrecy in it. Does that make the overseas ballot illegal? Am I violating the law by casting an absentee ballot? |
| 33. |
Posted by don on 04/18/2009, 00:08 Let me understand, we have a law to protect the right of a person to vote in secret, so we are going to imprison them for revealing their own vote. What do you want to bet they also support card check? |
| 32. |
Posted by Plem on 04/17/2009, 21:53 This guy should be thrown under the jail, but ACORN registering Mickie Mouse is nothing to worry about. |
| 31. |
Posted by Jefferson Jimmy on 04/17/2009, 20:25 Don't they have anything better to spend their time and our money investigating? If I want to show you my ballot, it's MY business, not the government's. Yes, we have the secret ballot and I value that very highly, but it's MY secret and I'll share it if I wish. |
| 30. |
Posted by The Truth on 04/17/2009, 17:06 How do they know it's his own ballot unless they investigate? How do they know he wasn't photographing others in addition to this alleged photo? They don't. Until they investigate. |
| 29. |
Posted by northcoast on 04/17/2009, 12:41 Are they serious? Haven't they heard of camera phones? Everything about this story just seems to be idiotic. |
| 28. |
Posted by bajaretired on 04/17/2009, 10:57 I'll bet that Chrismer is in favor of the 'Card Check Bill' too. |
| 27. |
Posted by Mat L on 04/17/2009, 10:04 What an idiot, the law is intended to keep people from exposing another persons vote not your own. If it turns out to be that persons vote what case does he have, since when can you not share your vote. |
| 26. |
Posted by bronco on 04/17/2009, 09:33 It'll be great if they spend $$$ to prosecute this and a jury exercises their privilege to find a law ridiculous and acquit the prankster of all charges. Unfortunately it will cost the prankster a lot. |
| 25. |
Posted by Dave on 04/17/2009, 09:15 "You can't violate something as sacred as the ballot," Tell that to the unions who want to do away with ballots entirely. Oh, wait, I forgot--in those situations, coercion is the *goal.* |
| 24. |
Posted by jrc on 04/17/2009, 06:18 Yes, that's pretty ridiculous. Chrismer must be desperately bored, or something. |
| 23. |
Posted by Common sense. on 04/17/2009, 01:58 So... Someone took a picture of a ballot that was used with no identifying marks. Posted it annonymously, and this idiot is going to reveal who voted this way. Isn't that what the law is protecting? |
| 22. |
Posted by FapFap on 04/16/2009, 23:32 with the economic times as they are now anybody who wastes money prosecuting this case should be fired immediately! |
| 21. |
Posted by C on 04/16/2009, 21:11 What a stupid law. |
| 20. |
Posted by Farky McFarklan on 04/16/2009, 18:37 Imagine....someone going to vote with a cell phone camera. You can't violate something as sacred as the ballot, Hang the SOB. |
| 19. |
Posted by DG on 04/16/2009, 17:13 Is this that serious? It was his own ballot. Do they really have nothing better to do in bumpkin county then go after this guy? |
| 18. |
Posted by David on 04/16/2009, 16:57 There are many stupid laws on the books, all it takes is one stupid official to try to enforce them. Let\'s hope the prosecutor has more sense. |
| 17. |
Posted by Matt on 04/16/2009, 16:31 Agreed..... what a waste of time and money.... do something useful or maybe even good for the community. |
| 16. |
Posted by Evan on 04/16/2009, 16:15 Rich Chrismer is a joke. This just goes to show how much of consequence is actually going on in Saint Charles County. |
| 15. |
Posted by Anon on 04/16/2009, 16:15 when busy work goes bad. Rich A. Chrismer needs a hobbie. |
| 14. |
Posted by Carl Armbruster on 04/16/2009, 16:12 He should have just killed someone in Missouri while drunk driving or raped someone . . . the punishment would have been much less :( |
| 13. |
Posted by Jim Shoe on 04/16/2009, 16:05 "You can't violate something as sacred as the ballot" I mean seriously though .. all kidding aside.. this is a VERY SERIOUS offense ... just think of that poor shy ballot's feelings, i mean its fragile and delicate and tears easily... and I heard some of those O'Fallon ballots can have bipolar disorder, either way Mr. Anonomous should have known better than to flash a picture directly at it... those ballots need special care and hate to be exploited |
| 12. |
Posted by House on 04/16/2009, 15:40 Is this for real? |
| 11. |
Posted by Joe Stahl on 04/16/2009, 15:32 Chrismer is a meddling fool, who needs to be removed from his post. What an ultra maroon. |
| 10. |
Posted by curtis on 04/16/2009, 15:32 yeah a camera is why people don't trust the ballots. not because of the whole florida fiasco or anything like that. stupid gov't |
| 9. |
Posted by sdtangler on 04/16/2009, 15:27 Big deal! It was his OWN ballot. Is it against the law to tell people who you voted for? |
| 8. |
Posted by Uh on 04/16/2009, 15:26 We have so much rampant voter fraud in this country and so many REAL problems to worry about and you're going to punish someone for taking a picture of their OWN ballot? Ridiculous. Oh the "sacred ballot" how can we ever move passed this? |
| 7. |
Posted by Dave on 04/16/2009, 15:18 You have to be kidding me? The ballot is more important than the person casting the vote? Mr. Chrismer needs to retire or find another line of work or am I soiling the sanctity of free speech by questioning his wisdom in pursuing this matter? Mr. Chrismer is another example of all the things that are wrong with our election process. |
| 6. |
Posted by mickey on 04/16/2009, 15:16 you can't take a picture of a ballot? Wow that is news. |
| 5. |
Posted by Freedom on 04/16/2009, 15:14 I hope the website stones this fool and tells him to take a hike, I know I would, and would enjoy doing so! |
| 4. |
Posted by Boyd on 04/16/2009, 15:11 WTF? If it is his ballot why can't he share it? Oh, I know if some buracrat decides not to count it then he has a record of how he voted which could hurt chances for voter fraud. This makes me want to start taking a pic of every ballot I submit to be counted. |
| 3. |
Posted by Someone on 04/16/2009, 15:01 Who cares if he posted a picture of his ballot? This is a waste of time and resources. |
| 2. |
Posted by Someone on 04/16/2009, 14:58 This is stupid and a waste of resources. |
| 1. |
Posted by Stone on 04/16/2009, 14:52 Should that not be for showing a picture of someone other then your own ballot? Fark you if I want to show my own ballot, it is not like it's signed anyway... |
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