Higher courts may have to deal with this later, but when Justin Timberlake posted a selfie of himself in a Tennessee voting booth (Diebold machine in background), he apparently broke the law.
Timberlake, who owns property in Nashville, was promoting early voting, and posted his Instagram photo with the following message: “Hey! You! Yeah, YOU! I just flew from LA to Memphis to #rockthevote !!! No excuses, my good people! There could be early voting in your town too. If not, November 8th! Choose to have a voice! If you don’t, then we can’t HEAR YOU! Get out and VOTE!” noted USA Today.
What’s wrong with that? Well, taking photos inside voting booths is prohibited in the state, where a new law, which took effect in January, forbids Tennesseans “from using the device for telephone conversations, recording, or taking photographs or videos while inside the polling place.” The crime is a misdemeanor, and Timberlake’s penalty could include up to 30 days in jail and $50 fine.
Here’s the evidence, and some reaction.
Justin Timberlake took an illegal selfie at the polls that *could* get him jail time. This is 2016 https://t.co/jNxhaGh5X5
— Colleen Shalby (@CShalby) October 25, 2016