Bob CollinsPBS and YouTube are trying a different way of documenting Election Day. They’re asking people to “videotape their voting experience.” The video below notes that “everyone and their brother” is asking you to videotape news, but it says if you get some really big news — long lines, irregularities in voting etc. — then “they’ll really be interested.”
It’s unclear whether it’s legal in Minnesota to film the act of voting. The Minnesota statute on the subject doesn’t specifically say. But the effort could clash with a theme debated during the Republican National Convention: If you take videos for the purpose to telling a story, are you a journalist?
If so, then the statute spells out some requirements.
A news media representative may enter a polling place during voting hours only to observe the voting process. A media representative must present photo identification to the head election judge upon arrival at the polling place, along with either a recognized media credential or written statement from a local election official attesting to the media representative’s credentials. A media representative must not:
(1) approach within six feet of a voter;
(2) converse with a voter while in the polling place;
(3) make a list of persons voting or not voting; or
(4) interfere with the voting process.
I’ve put a call in to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office for clarification.
