The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit revived a woman’s lawsuit over an Ohio law that prohibits taking photos of a marked election ballot, finding she has standing to bring First Amendment claims that she had been silenced from sharing her “ballot selfie” online.
The appellate court reversed granting summary judgment to Ohio state officials after plaintiff Alison Kareem sued Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, and Cuyahoga County Prosecuting Attorney Michael C. O’Malley on the grounds that Ohio election laws Ohio Revised Code Sections 3501.35(A)(4) and 3599.20 violated her free speech rights by prohibiting her from displaying her marked ballot to others.
