Bill Allowing Ballot 'Selfies' Approved By Colorado Senate
DENVER (AP) — The Colorado state Senate approved a bill Thursday that would make it legal to share completed ballots on social media.
The bill would change a law that was put on hold last year after a bipartisan group sued over the selfie ban, saying the measure inhibited political speech.
The ban came from an 1891 Colorado law preventing voters from disseminating their marked ballots. It was intended to prevent vote-buying and voter intimidation.
State Sen. Owen Hill said the law is way past due for an update. The Colorado Springs Republican was among the plaintiffs last fall in the lawsuit.
"Our First Amendment was written largely for the purpose of political speech," Hill argued this week on the Senate floor. The Senate voted 31-4 to make the change.
It now goes to Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is considered likely to sign it into law.
Colorado has no recorded convictions for people illegally sharing their completed ballots. The crime is now a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.
The Colorado House has already approved the bill.
By KRISTEN WYATT, Associated Press
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