Putnam County Elections Bans Photo, Video Inside Precincts

Putnam County will no longer allow pictures or video to be taken inside of voting precincts after a policy change was approved Wednesday meeting.

Administrator Michele Honeycutt said privacy was the concern. Honeycutt said that this rule will be enforced at all precincts, that includes early voting and Election Day.

“There are times when someone would take a picture and you could see their ballot, doing a selfie there,” Honeycutt said. “It’s supposed to be private and we don’t want that because if someone was taking a picture of lets say their daughter at a machine. Yet, they accidentally got someone else in the picture.”

Honeycutt said the old policy allowed voters to ask permission before taking a picture inside of a precinct. She said the only photographs and video allowed now are by the media or the state election office.

“It makes it difficult if you give someone permission,” Honeycutt said. “Then someone else says, ‘well, why can’t I do it too?”

Honeycutt said this is a decision that was made at the local level. She said voters are still welcome to take pictures outside.