WEAPONIZING THE GOVERNMENT
If someone was trying to limit or suppress your First Amendment rights in America today, what would that Tyrant look like? A dictator in a military uniform? Or a soccer mom in a corner office?...
By: TruthRevoltOriginals
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WEAPONIZING THE GOVERNMENT - Video
The New Hampshire ACLU has filed a lawsuit that challenges the states ban on sharing photos of completed ballots aka ballot selfies charging that the law violates the first amendment.
There is no more potent way to communicate ones support for a candidate than to voluntarily display a photograph of ones marked ballot depicting ones vote for that candidate, the lawsuit reads.
New Hampshire has long had a law on its books banning voters from taking photos of their ballot, theoretically as a way to stop people from selling their vote. In June, the law was updated to explicitly outlaw taking a digital image or photograph of his or her marked ballot and distributing or sharing the image via social media. Violators can be punished up to $1000.
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(Massachusetts has a similar anti-ballot selfie law on its books, although it rarely if ever has been enforced.)
The law went into place Sept. 1 before the New Hampshires primary elections, and at least three people have already been investigated by the states attorney general for sharing photos of their ballot on Twitter and Facebook. One of those photo-takers, former police officer Andrew Langlois, shared a picture of his ballot in which he wrote-in the name of his deceased dog Akira as his Republican choice for the US Senate.
Another violator, state Representative Leon Rideout of Lancaster, took a ballot selfie and shared it to Twitter to make a statement, he told the Nashua Telegraph.
Langlois, Rideout, and another politician are named as plaintiffs in the ACLU lawsuit, which argues that their ballot selfies were political speech and therefore protected by the first amendment.
What this law ignores is that displaying a photograph of a marked ballot on the Internet is a powerful form of political speech that conveys various constitutionally-protected messages that have no relationship to vote buying or voter coercion, the lawsuit reads.
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New Hampshire ACLU Files Lawsuit to Make Ballot Selfies Legal
The Open Mind: Free Speech and Due Process, Part 1
In this edition of The Open Mind, Burt Neuborne speaks about how the first Amendment is sugar-coated and his perspective on it. (Taped 1-16-97) In May 1956, Richard D. Heffner, American...
By: cunytv75
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The Open Mind: Free Speech and Due Process, Part 1 - Video
Wining and dining under the First Amendment
Lawyers for two companies accused in a corruption probe at Sweetwater schools are arguing they should not have to give back construction contract proceeds because the meals, trips and tickets...
By: Ricky Young
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Wining and dining under the First Amendment - Video
Declaring that Florida's open government laws have been "under attack in recent years," the First Amendment Foundation asked the two candidates for governor to answer three questions pledging to reverse recent trends and operate with more transparent practices if they are elected.
Gov. Rick Scott and challenger Charlie Crist were asked if they would agree to conduct all public business on public computer networks and devices, release a detailed schedule of appointments and travel, and pledge that he and staff will not use private email accounts when conducting business.
Crist, a Democrat, responded that he would. Scott, a Republican, did not respond.
The First Amendment Foundation is a non-profit open government watchdog that receives its support from voluntary contributions and many of the state's news organizations.
The governor's failure to respond comes against a backdrop of increasing questions about his commitment to Florida's open government laws.
During his term, Scott has blocked data about his private air travels from public flight tracking records. He has released only superficial details about his daily schedules. He has used, and allows his staff to use, private email accounts when corresponding on public business, creating additional barriers to public access. And his staff has been encouraged to use private cell phone accounts when sending text messages about politically sensitive issues.
In each case, the governor has said he has followed the law but his actions have drawn lawsuits.
He is is being sued by Tallahassee attorney Steven R. Andrews, a Republican, for allowing his staff to alter calendar entries, for withholding documents from public records requests and for failing to say who opened his private gmail accountand the gmail accounts of his staff. He faces another lawsuit, from attorney general candidate George Sheldon, a Democrat, alleging that his financial disclosure forms fail to reflect more than $200 million of his wealth because it excludes assets his wife owns but which Scott remains as the beneficiary.
Here are the responses from Crist:
Q: As governor, will you release a weekly calendar in advance that details your appointments, public meetings, and travel schedule?
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Open government group: Scott won't commit to reversing practices in second term