Social media users beware: taking photos of your marked ballots is illegal in Massachusetts.
Voters have been posting ballot photos to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, among other Election Day shots.
The
Commonwealth’s general laws state, “Whoever, at a primary, caucus or election, places any distinguishing mark upon his ballot, or makes a false statement as to his ability to mark his ballot, or allows the marking of his ballot to be seen by any person for any purpose not authorized by law, or gives a false answer to or makes a false oath before a presiding officer, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than six months or by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars.”
Using hashtags like #showmeyourballot is being discouraged by celebrities, including “Family Feud” and “The Steve Harvey Show” host Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey), who Tweeted, “KeepVoting ! #StandUp & #ShowOut! Keep sending me pix of the lines & your stickers ! But NOT the Ballot !”