When a woman entered a New Hampshire gym serving as a polling place Tuesday afternoon wearing a “McCain Hero, Trump Zero” T-shirt, Paul Scafidi knew he had to step in.
Election laws prohibit campaigning in polling places, which includes shirts promoting or denigrating a candidate on the ballot, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported.
Scafidi, a town moderator in Exeter, told the woman she couldn’t vote while wearing the T-shirt, Seacoast Online reported. The woman asked if Scafidi wanted her to take off the shirt.
“Boom! The shirt’s off, and she’s standing there saying, ‘How’s this?’” Scafidi said, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported.
The woman proceeded to cast her ballot while topless, then put the shirt back on and left, Seacoast Online reported. Scafidi said few other voters were present, and there were no children.
“I think we all kind of needed it,” said voter Andrea Shine, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. “With everything going on in the world, it’s like, who cares?”
Scafidi said he didn’t want to exacerbate the awkward situation by intervening further or involving police.
“If she felt it was her right, more power to her,” he said, Seacoast Online reported.
New Hampshire voters cast ballots Tuesday in the state’s primary election.
In 2018, a man took off a pro-Trump T-shirt at a South Carolina polling place in order to cast his ballot, CNN reported. Election officials later said he was mistakenly asked not to wear the shirt, since Trump was not on the ballot in that election.
“It’s an understandable mistake,” said Chris Whitmire, a South Carolina Election Commission spokesman, according to the network.
“Poll managers are volunteers that are working hard out there, trying to do the right thing,” Whitmire said, CNN reported. “If you closely read the handbook on campaign material, that didn’t violate the definition of material.”
Miami Herald
