Sager 'breaks law' but no harm done

Republican county commission candidate Jason Sager stepped into the polling place at high noon Saturday and voted for his candidate Ron Paul.

When he finished, he took out his cell phone and snapped a picture of his ballot, clearly showing his candidate of choice.

He then posted that picture on his Facebook page. Sager, running against incumbent Republican John Druzbick, said he did it to make a political statement.

He didn't know that what he did was against Florida Statutes and could have been a first degree misdemeanor.

Florida Statutes prohibit photography in the polling room or early voting areas and subsequently allowing others to see the ballot.

Assistant State Attorney Mark Simpson said his office has looked into it and determined that, even though Sager technically broke the law, there are First Amendment issues at play and the county commission candidate likely did not intend any harm.

Simpson said the state law's intent is to punish people who go into a polling place and start shooting pictures of people casting ballots, which could be construed as intimidating.

Still, Simpson said he is surprised at the things people put on their Facebook page for all the world to see.

"Facebook is a challenge to all of us and I am amazed at what people post," Simpson said. "Never put out anything you wouldn't want people to see."

Sager said he meant no harm in posting his ballot on Facebook. He said his supporters wanted to know who he was voting for and he obliged.

"I'm very open and transparent to the world and I wanted people to know who I was supporting," he said.

Sager said if the state wants to prohibit photography inside the polling area there should be better signage at the sites.

Elizabeth Townsend, director of operations for the supervisor of elections office, said the poll deputy at every precinct tells people when they enter to vote to shut their cell phones off.

There is a sign notifying them of that rule posted at every precinct.

If they enter with a camera, they would be told not to shoot any pictures, Townsend said.

Meanwhile, Sager said he is not counting his candidate out yet, despite the boost Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney received from Tuesday's election win.

"There are 46 states to go," he said. "It's anybody's game. Who knows what's going to happen?"

A final sidenote: Sager's Facebook post had 19 "likes," from people who found favor with the entry.