Is it legal to take a selfie with your ballot in Illinois? Here’s what state law says
While many people take pride in voting, Illinois voters may want to check state law before snapping a picture with their completed ballot.
Some states, such as Alabama, Hawaii, Nebraska and more allow voters to take and share photos of their own completed ballot, while others, including Missouri, ban or regulate the practice.
Before heading to the polls this year, you might want to check your voter registration and review the BND’s 2024 Voter Guide to research your options. Along with the U.S. presidential race, candidates in metro-east counties will vie for positions such as board chair, county coroner, circuit clerk and more.
Here’s what to know about Illinois state law regarding ballot selfies.
Illinois state law on ballot selfies
It is illegal to take a selfie with your completed ballot in Illinois.
“Except as permitted by this Code, any person who knowingly marks his ballot or casts his vote on a voting machine or voting device so that it can be observed by another person, and any person who knowingly observes another person lawfully marking a ballot or lawfully casting his vote on a voting machine or voting device, shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony,” the relevant section of the Illinois Election Code says.
Although taking a ballot selfie after selecting your candidates is a felony in Illinois, the practice has not been a big issue locally, St. Clair County Clerk Thomas Holbrook said in a recent interview with the BND.
It’s likely election officials may not notice when people take selfies with their ballots, Holbrook said, but when they do, they tell the person they can’t take the picture and that doing so would be illegal.
St. Clair County officials are typically able to stop ballot selfies as long as they see them, and Holbrook added most people who try to take a picture don’t mean anything nefarious by it. It’s also not something the county sees very frequently.
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This story was originally published October 15, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
