Federal judge approves ballot selfies in Michigan

Federal judge in Grand Rapids approves taking selfies with election ballot

A federal judge in Grand Rapids ruled that voters can post a picture of themselves on Election Day with or without a ballot -- at least for now. The state is appealing the ruling.

Since 1891, Michigan has had a law on the books that says no photography is allowed in a polling place. Then, ballot selfies started popping up, and most people had no idea their pictures could land them in jail for 90 days or leave them with a $500 fine.

A man brought a lawsuit on the west side of the state, challenging whether those ballot selfies were illegal. The judge ruled it's likely that prohibiting people from posting their ballot selfies violates their First Amendment rights.

READ: A look at where ballot selfies are allowed or not

So, come Nov. 8, have at it. Professional politicos see the ballot selfies as the new "I Voted" sticker.

"I think there's going to be a lot of young people who are excited for whatever candidate they are voting for," Jared Maynard said. "They're going to take a selfie with their ballot because they're excited about voting and they have grown up in this culture where everything is filmed, selfied or snapchatted."

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About the Authors:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.