Social media has become mainstream and a comfortable communication medium for some to share almost ALL aspects of their lives. Sometimes, followers may perceive it as over-sharing, but for those posting online, the ease and simplicity of broadcasting historic moments in time has become extremely simple. Since social media is still fairly new, the only netiquette available is common sense. In the case of posting an image of your casted ballot, I’d be especially cautious since it’s actually not legal in California.
According to http://www.leginfo.ca.gov, “14291. After the ballot is marked, a voter shall not show it to any person in such a way as to reveal its contents.” Clearly, the individual posting this on Facebook was unaware of this law and in a moment of voting excitement, was trying to send a political message to the world. It also doesn’t help that the image is directly associated with your social media profile which includes your full name. If you’re wondering how much legal trouble the posting could cause, it’s not likely they’d be prosecuted according to experts, but it’s generally standard practice to observe and respect the rules of the polling place and err on the side of being discreet.
