CINCINNATI — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has released guidance to county elections officials statewide saying voters are permitted to wear clothing with slogans such as “Make America Great Again” or “We’re Not Going Back” to the polls without that being considered improper campaign attire.
Ohio law has long prohibited voters from wearing clothing or displaying material stumping for or against a candidate or issue in the “neutral zone” around a polling location marked by American flags. Voters have been asked to remove hats or turn their shirt inside out if it expressed support for a candidate on the ballot.
Guidance issued by the state this week says: “Slogans that can be associated with a political party, candidate or ballot question or issue, but do not display the name of the political party, candidate, or ballot question or issue are not prohibited.”
LaRose’s office says this guidance has been the same since LaRose took office, though some county elections officials and a document previously on the Secretary of State’s website ― which the secretary of state’s office says they didn’t create — have previously interpreted Ohio law to prohibit material that implies clear support for a candidate.
The most common example of this is the Make America Great Again, or MAGA, slogan used by supporters of former President Donald Trump and often emblazoned on bright red hats. Slogans used by the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris include “When we fight, we win” and “We’re Not Going Back.”
Tom Calarco, a pollworker in Warren County, said he’s concerned the guidance could lead to violence and endanger pollworkers.
“On the eve of this volatile election, when you’re hearing all the crazy stuff, they allow this,” he said. “They’re inviting conflict.”
The guidance from LaRose’s office affirmed that some attire and material is prohibited in polling locations if it displays the name of a political party, displays the name of a candidate, or demonstrates support or opposition to a ballot question or issue.
“If the person displaying the attire or paraphernalia is someone who entered the polling place to vote and the person refuses to remove or cover the item or article of clothing while in the polling place, the person must still be permitted to vote if the person is otherwise eligible to cast a ballot at the polling place,” according to a release from the secretary of state’s office.
