At the "no excuses" polling place I observed a Democrat violating NC election law. At the entrance to the polling place said Democrat was handing out sample ballots instructing people to vote for Kerry first before voting the straight Democratic ticket.

This clearly violates the NC Buffer law which states:

Each county shall establish a buffer at the polling place no less than 25 feet and no more than 50 feet from the entrance. No political soliciting can occur inside this buffer zone.

I shall gladly report this infraction to the County Board of Elections and the RNC, although I doubt that NC outcome will be close. :D

THE NC Herd Fan Wrote:At the "no excuses" polling place I observed a Democrat violating NC election law. At the entrance to the polling place said Democrat was handing out sample ballots instructing people to vote for Kerry first before voting the straight Democratic ticket.

This clearly violates the NC Buffer law which states:

Each county shall establish a buffer at the polling place no less than 25 feet and no more than 50 feet from the entrance. No political soliciting can occur inside this buffer zone.

I shall gladly report this infraction to the County Board of Elections and the RNC, although I doubt that NC outcome will be close. :D

You could have just told a poll worker. They would have come out and made the guy step back.

Here in Ohio, poll workers are given strings they can use to measure the distance (which, I believe, is 50 feet here).

In most states, there is a gap in the law. Such activities are prohibited on election day but the law is silent regarding those who choose to vote on any other day. Given that such laws are a restriction on speech, they will be narrowly construed and until the legislatures cleans them up, the gap in the law will continue to be there. Rather obviously, I don't know a thing about NC law but my guess is that the gap is there.

In WV, it's 300 feet so you basically don't see any campaign workers on your way in.