Arizona County Pays $3,000 to Voter Who Was Stopped at Polls Because of her T-Shirt

On March 14, Coconino County settled a lawsuit that had been filed in October 2010, by a voter who wasn’t permitted to vote at the polls because she was wearing a T-shirt that included a depiction of the American flag, “We the People” script from the Constitution, and the phrase “Flagstaff Tea Party – Reclaiming our Constitution Now.”

Polling place officials felt the T-shirt was illegal “electioneering”, but of course there was no ballot-listed Tea Party on the ballot in Arizona. The voter won injunctive relief last year and now Coconino County has agreed to interpret the electioneering law to include only clothing that refers to a candidate or a party that is actually listed on the ballot. The case had been Wickberg v Owens, cv10-8177-PHX, in U.S. District Court. The county also had to pay $46,000 in attorneys’ fees. See this story.


Comments

Arizona County Pays $3,000 to Voter Who Was Stopped at Polls Because of her T-Shirt — 2 Comments

  1. Richard Winger

    Do you recall the section number and code name that limited organizational political activity in California
    to only Republicans and Democrats on the Junior College
    Campus? If so, what was it and was it ever repealed?

    I remember in the 1960’s only Democratic and Republicans
    were allowed to organize on the Junior College Campuses.
    in 1967 the American Independent Party was not allowed
    to organize at Los Angeles City College and other junior
    colleges (this was the old name for the Community Colleges of grade 13 and grade 14).

    I have limited retrospection of that law, but I recall and could be wrong that it was part of the Education Code. I remember it was also used to keep the Prohibition Party off the Junior College Campuses in the
    early 1960’s in California. This was at a time when the
    dress code did not allow students to where corduroy pants on campus.

    Sincerely, Mark Seidenberg
    Vice Chairman, American Independent Party

  2. Keep suing the party hacks for BIG $$$ damages for violation of constitutional RIGHTS — hopefully bankrupt such party hacks.

    About the ONLY thing the party hacks understand.

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