Political
clothing
While there are some people who purposefully wear red, white and blue attire on Election Day, most don't give it a thought. And you'd think that election officials, seeking turnout more than anything else, wouldn't care. Wear your Sunday best, your work clothes, whatever comes out of your closet -- just make sure you vote.
But in the great state of Kansas, one needs to make sure you don't wear the wrong outfit. Specifically, Kansas voters are prohibited from wearing political T-shirts or buttons within 250 feet of polling places.
The electioneering law bans "wearing, exhibiting or distributing labels, signs, posters, stickers or other materials that clearly identify a candidate in the election or clearly indicate support or opposition to a ballot question."
And guess who's in charge of enforcement? According to Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh: "The supervising (poll) judges have all the authority they need to correct the problem."
The remedy? Not allow somebody to vote until they remove the offending clothing or pin. If that doesn't persuade the obviously electioneering citizen, misdemeanor charges could be filed.
We've really got too much time on our hands.
People will be no more likely to vote for John McCain because they saw somebody else wearing an elephant shirt than they would be to run home and listen to Garth Brooks because they saw his name on somebody's black concert T-shirt at The Mall. Or convince their parents to vote for Barack Obama because a teacher at Hays High School wore something supportive of the Democratic candidate.
It's a silly law, but one that likely will be tested. We would encourage the secretary of state to tell poll workers not to worry about being fashion police. They've got more important work on which to concentrate.
Editorial by Patrick Lowry