Anyone who dresses up as President Barack Obama or Mitt Romney for Halloween should avoid one place today:
The voting booth."State law is very clear," said Steve Raborn, Tarrant County's elections administrator. "You can't wear a T-shirt or button that campaigns for a certain candidate. The same would hold true for a costume."So either wait to dress up until after you vote or "leave that mask in the car," he said.Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday at Tarrant County's 44 early voting sites.Four years ago, 66 percent of Tarrant County's registered voters headed to the polls for the presidential race, most casting their ballots early.This year's ballot includes not only the tight presidential race but also the fight to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate and various congressional and legislative races, statewide races, judicial races, State Board of Education races and local races ranging from sheriff to county commissioner.Early voters should bring identification -- their voter registration certificate or an alternate ID, such as a driver's license, a birth certificate, a passport, U.S. citizenship papers or a utility bill, a bank statement, a government check or other government document.State law stipulates that "electioneering" occurs when anyone wears clothes, buttons, pins, hats or other items promoting a political candidate inside a polling place or within 100 feet of a door through which a voter could enter the building.That, officials say, violates election laws, which is why anyone who shows up wearing campaign materials is asked to remove or cover them -- or turn their shirts inside out.But that doesn't mean that all Halloween costumes are banned from polling places today -- of all days."There's no prohibition on costumes," Raborn said."But if there's a political message on it, you might want to think twice about going into the polling place with it."Online: To see a sample ballot, go to www.tarrantcounty.com/eVote. For other information, call 817-831-8683.Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610Twitter: @annatinsleyHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
