PA Republicans fighting for polling booth dress code

[Alcon]

This is not a hard rule to enforce and the parties are elevating it to something more than it is.

You ask a voter to remove the article.  If they can't, try turning it inside out.  If that doesn't work and it's not super-obstructive, let them vote but not lollygag.  Obnoxious, loud, obvious electioneering will warrant a request to leave and a police call if necessary.

[Alcon]

I can sort of understand the campaign shirt thing if you're also going to ban buttons and whatnot, but nothing else. Why a person couldn't vote in a musical hat (whatever that is) is beyond me. Sadly soon some people will probably be pushing for requiring that you vote in a suit and tie.

I assume that means a musical hat that sings something political, or makes a lot of noise, or something.

It would be annoying to anyone who was trying to concentrate.  It's good to clarify these rules beforehand, but outright banning people in political shirts is stupid stupid stupid.

[Alcon]

The Allegheny County Chief Executive says voters can wear what they want because they're only there a few minutes and it's not considered campaigning inside the voting area, and nothing is going to be done about it here.....

Which is, frankly, the right thing to do, to me.

I think a lot of these activist folks are just getting excited about voting, and go a little overboard.  Most of them are crestfallen and apologetic, or off-put but understanding, when they're told it's not kosher.  I feel bad saying so in the minor cases because it's pretty much telling the least cynical ones, "yeah, everything people say about the process is true, take off your button, schlub."

There are a few people who come in decked out just to be dicks (in our case, only the local state representative, haha) but those people are such a small minority...and never help their own cause.

That's my two cents, at least.