Newspaper: No 'fashion police' in voting booth

A recent controversy over what Pennsylvania voters can wear at the polls is the topic of an editorial in today's edition of The Mercury.

The newspaper says county elections officials have enough to worry about on Nov. 4 without being fashion police.

Each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties is responsible for running elections in their respective counties. But a recent letter from the Rendell Administration, at the behest of the ACLU, has muddied the waters about what voters can wear to the polls.

State law prohibits "passive electioneering" so voters should not wear campaign buttons, hats or T-shirts when they enter a polling site.

But Rendell and the ACLU want the counties to look the other way if voters come dressed up to support their favorite presidential candidate.

The Mercury disagrees.

From the editorial:

Polls workers will have their hands full without passing judgment on whether a button or cap is appropriate or not. Instead, banning all campaign messages will remain the rule.

Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.