NEW ORLEANS — In your Ballot Box Breakdown: your voting dress code. What can and can’t you wear to the polls?
There are more than 20 states that specifically outline what clothing is prohibited at polling places. Texas is one example, where the law explicitly prohibits “badges, insignia, emblems, or other similar communicative devices” related to candidates, measures, or political parties on the ballot.
We looked into the laws in Louisiana, and election law lays out a 600-foot campaign-free zone around all polling places.
In that area, it’s illegal to, hand out or display “political signs, pictures, or other forms of political advertising which advocate for or against any candidate, proposition, or political party appearing on the ballot in the election.”
The law doesn’t explicitly set wardrobe guidelines, but a t-shirt, hat, or button could reasonably fall under the umbrella of a political display.
Local election officials are in charge of enforcing these rules and tell us you could be asked to turn your shirt inside out or change if you show up draped in support of a candidate, political party, or proposition.
So, while the merch market is hot for Trump 2024 shirts and Harris/Walz camo hats, even here in Louisiana, you’d be better off leaving them at home and letting your vote do the talking instead.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.