Re: [EL] WWE merchandise at Connecticut polls

The McMahons have spawned a lot of interesting corporate-involvement-in-elections issues, indeed: what to make of WWE hosting its first-ever "fan appreciation day" in Hartford on the Saturday before the election, then scheduling a tv taping of its SmackDown show in Democrat-heavy Bridgeport to start on Election Night at 6:45pm? http://www.ctdems.org/releases.php?id=279 Add to that the use of corporate resources for a "Stand Up for WWE" campaign to influence public perceptions of the candidate's company.

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From: election-law-bounces@mailman.lls.edu [mailto:election-law-bounces@mailman.lls.edu] On Behalf Of Volokh, Eugene
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 2:49 PM
To: election-law@mailman.lls.edu
Subject: [EL] WWE merchandise at Connecticut polls

I was wondering whether list members had thoughts on this:

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-10-22/politics/connecticut.elections.wwe_1_linda-mcmahon-poll-workers-vince-mcmahon?_s=PM:POLITICS

Republicans lashed out Friday after the Connecticut secretary of state said poll workers would have the right to ask voters wearing World Wrestling Entertainment merchandise to cover up because it could be considered campaigning.

Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon left her job as chief executive of WWE to run for office. And a spokesman for Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz said McMahon is so closely associated with the organization that wrestling garb could easily be construed as political advertising.

"It's not that much of an inconvenience in the few minutes that you're voting that you don't serve as an advertisement for somebody'spolitical campaign," said Av Harris, a spokesman for Bysiewicz.