At The Polls (no...not a political topic)

[Liberty]

Even if he "violated the law", who cares. If he wasn't threatening anybody with the firearm or attempting to intimidate people to vote one way or another, it's a non-issue imo.

So LEO can do whatever they want? Why can't I carry a gun into a polling place as long as I don't threaten anyone? Let's remember, voting is a very private and sacred thing. And intimidation can be very subtle, whether it is intended or not. Lots of countries have government officers intimidating people at the polls. It happens all over the world. What if there was a soldier decked out in armor and helmet, wearing a ski mask under his helmet, holding an M-4 at the polling place? That would annoy the heck out of me; it might threaten others; and it could easily intimidate others into voting a certain way. Are police officers so different? Both military officers and police officers are government enforcement agents.

Personally, I'd like to see a ban on any uniformed government employee (whether armed or not) in polling places. Uniforms are outward representations of the entity from which the uniform was issued. They carry all of the symbols of power and authority of that agency. There is a reason military and police uniforms have all of that "bling;" It is there as a symbol of the power of that officer, who is a symbol and enforcer of the power of his agency, which is a symbol and enforcer of the power of the government of which the agency is a part. They have no place in an area in which the people are possibly engaged in changing the government whose power is being symbolized.

I'm not saying that police officers, or soldiers, or baliffs, or county sanitation workers shouldn't vote; I'm saying that they should not be armed, and suggesting that wearing the uniform while voting is, at best, in bad taste.

While I understand your point, sometimes the balloting is at the courthouse. and it would be awkward keeping uniformed officers away at least at any distance.

[dmac]

[/quote]
While I understand your point, sometimes the balloting is at the courthouse. and it would be awkward keeping uniformed officers away at least at any distance.[/quote]

An unfortunate polling location. Some accomadation could be made, I'm sure.

[seamusTX]

The legislature will never prohibit uniformed police officers from carrying in polling places. Some polling places have an officer stationed there.

The police unions would also resist any such proposal, and they tend to get what they want.

Texas elections are a lot more sedate than they used to be. There were instances in the past of armed voter intimidation by certain citizens, and ballot boxes being hijacked.

Even now, tussles break out between election workers occasionally.

- Jim

[Elvis]

Hopefully everyone understands 46.15 means LEO's may carry in "Places Wepons Prohibited". The HPD Officer was not "doing whatever he wanted", he was exercising his right to vote and should be aplauded, not scorned. Geez guys get real...

[stevie_d_64]

As an election judge (over 15 years) in my voting precinct, I have only had this occur a few times on election day...And my interpretation and the answers I have gotten from official sources has been that while a commissioned law enforcement officer is in uniform, armed and conducting their personal business in a polling location, they can remain armed in that instance...Their uniform IS their official capacity...

I only have three police officers I know of in my precinct, I know them all...We have even talked about it, and I never approached the subject from a standpoint that I would nitpick about the law (statute in question)...Or their uniformed status...

As far as I am concerned, they (in their official "uniformed" capacity) are not violating this section of the law...

[boomerang]

It should be the same for a CHL as long as we keep it concealed.

[dmac]

As an election judge (over 15 years) in my voting precinct, I have only had this occur a few times on election day...And my interpretation and the answers I have gotten from official sources has been that while a commissioned law enforcement officer is in uniform, armed and conducting their personal business in a polling location, they can remain armed in that instance...Their uniform IS their official capacity...

I only have three police officers I know of in my precinct, I know them all...We have even talked about it, and I never approached the subject from a standpoint that I would nitpick about the law (statute in question)...Or their uniformed status...

As far as I am concerned, they (in their official "uniformed" capacity) are not violating this section of the law...

Thank you for offering an informed opinion.

[Oldgringo]

LIBERTY said:

"...petty tickets like speeding tickets..." Should there be no speed limits - nowhere?

[ELB]

A cop standing around in uniform is on duty whether he is directing traffic or eating a burger, whether he or anyone else likes it or not. I am an election judge also, and during the last election I had a number of city police, county, constables, game wardens and whatever come into my poll. If I were having a significant "problem" on the other side of the polling place, I would not have hesitated to go tap one of those cops on the shoulder and tell him "I need your assistance now." Same-same if he's eatin' a burger at McWhattaKing -- big enough problem, I'm gonna interrupt his meal. Comes with the uniform, just like being in the military. So I don't begrudge him coming in in uniform, armed, between "problems" to get his voting or his burger-eating done.

Nor, for that matter, do I find it intimidating, nor can I really imagine anyone seriously finding it intimidating, to have OUR, U.S. of A., military coming into vote in uniform. I wore one for 23 years myself and most of the time I had to do the mail-in ballot routine and hope that the APO system didn't lose it (or that some Democrat in Florida didn't try to get a judge to throw it away cause it didn't have an APO dated postmark). Danged if I'm going to toss out a military guy in uniform who can actually come in and do it in person. We had lots of flight suits from Randolph AFB, and more power to them. If it helps, the US military's upper management is as afraid of individual weapons as any politician, so our boys and girls are disarmed at the earliest opportunity long before they ever get off base, never mind at the polls.

I do think banning CHLs from carrying ANYPLACE is nonsense, and I hope we can fix the law during the 2009 session. Pray that recount Charles talked about goes the right way.

[stevie_d_64]

One thing to factor into this is that some people (we know who they are) who do not believe you have a right to keep and bear arms would find your carrying a firearm into a voting location (let say for the sake of argument we could conceal or openly carry a firearm into a polling location on election day in Texas, as long as the polling location was in some other way a no-go zone)...

Electioneering is a very serious issue on election day...

And to hear of some folks who are so picky about it let me give you a recent example...

A couple had just come back from an Alaskan cruise, and they were wearing the Alaskan cruise lines shirts, so they were there to early vote...In no way did it have the name or any verbage of a proposition or candidate, pro or con for anything political...

Someone complained, and said that since there was a person on a political ticket that was from Alaska, they believed that was electioneering and illegal in a polling location...

So...Seeing that real example of how some would view a shirt with technically no electioneering material on it, and that person was told to leave and come back to finish voting...

Now you can see how some may view your views on gun issues by wearing a firearm in that manner (openly) could intimidate some voters and cause problems...

Now...If I had my way, I would carry "my" personal firearm openly in a poll I was presiding over for a variety of reasons...None of which is meant to intimidate or cause alarm with the public...But I am not allowed to do so, even though I am the lawful authority in that polling location...

My advice...leave it locked in the vehicle, conduct your business and re-arm afterwards back out in your vehicle...

[Liberty]

LIBERTY said:

"...petty tickets like speeding tickets..." Should there be no speed limits - nowhere?

Most speed limits that I see in Texas are ridiculously low. Most ticketed speeders are not any danger to anyone. Speeding tickets are as far as I can see are revenue gathering enterprises.

[Oldgringo]

LIBERTY said:

"...petty tickets like speeding tickets..." Should there be no speed limits - nowhere?

Most speed limits that I see in Texas are ridiculously low. Most ticketed speeders are not any danger to anyone. Speeding tickets are as far as I can see are revenue gathering enterprises.

[boomerang]

A cop standing around in uniform is on duty whether he is directing traffic or eating a burger, whether he or anyone else likes it or not.

So if they get paid by a business to work a second job while in uniform, they're taking bribes on duty?