How Instagramming your ballot could nullify your vote

Keen to show their civic pride, Americans are posting photos of their completed ballots on social media sites. Only problem: That's illegal in many states

Polling booth
(Image credit: Mark Hirsch/Getty Images)

As the rest of this presidential campaign has played out through mediums like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, so goes Election Day, apparently. But some poll workers cried foul on Tuesday and began confiscating voters' phones when hundreds and hundreds of photos of completed election ballots began making their way to photo-sharing site Instagram and social networks like Twitter and Facebook. A number of states prohibit citizens from photographing completed ballots, and some even ban any kind of recording equipment from polling places. In states where "I Voted" stickers aren't distributed, however, some voters argue that the ballot snapshot is the only real way — in this increasingly social world — to prove to their friends and followers that they've fulfilled their ultimate civic duty. Here, a guide:

Wait, I can't even take a photo of my own ballot?

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