As the United States Election Day on November 8 draws nearer, everyone is encouraging all citizens to vote-including singer-actor Justin Timberlake. However, as Timberlake decided to participate in the early voting in his hometown, he inadvertently crossed the line by taking a ballot "selfie" and posting it online.
On the 35-year-old singer's Instagram account @justintimberlake, he encouraged everyone to let their "voices be heard" through voting. Timberlake flew all the way from Los Angeles, California to his hometown in Memphis, Tennessee-approximately 2,000 miles away to practice his rights last Monday.
Together with his ballot selfie on IG, he wrote, "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!"
The intention is clear and pure but the state law apparently prohibits voters from taking photos and videos of anything inside the polling precincts as reported by the Huffington Post.
Breaking the law can penalize Timberlake a maximum of 30 days jail time and a $50 fine.
Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich also told The Huffington Post last Tuesday that "the matter is under review".
However, the DA's office later clarified to TMZ that the incident will no longer be investigated on since there is no apparent complainant.
Timberlake wasn't also the first to violate laws against ballot selfies. Earlier this year, Snapchat executives were sued in a New Hampshire lawsuit for the same offense. The mobile app executives wanted to make the pictures legal on Election Day, reasoning it's a First Amendment right.
Upon further review, their efforts succeeded. Just two months ago, a New Hampshire appeals court ruled that banning these photos "affects voters who are engaged in core political speech, an area highly protected by the First Amendment."
But despite that incident in New Hampshire, numerous states including Tennessee still disagree.
Meanwhile, the "Trolls" singer-actor already deleted the photo on his Instagram account.
