DEMOCRACY! It’s a beautiful thing.
However, no matter how much ruddy gorgeous you find the democratic process, it’s important to remember that you can should not try to capture its photogenic essence.
Justin Timberlake has learned this today – the singer uploaded an Instagram photo of himself voting at a polling booth, and is now in some hot hot hot water for it.
He uploaded the well-intentioned photo with the caption,
“Hey! You! Yeah, YOU! I just flew from LA to Memphis to #rockthevote !!! 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! #excerciseyourrighttovote”
But unfortunately, his urgent plea for his millions of Instagram followers to exercise their democratic rights is actually illegal.
He voted in Tennessee, and there it’s a class C misdemeanour to take a photograph in a polling place.
And due to the fact that he has a whopping thirty seven million followers, the photo obviously hasn’t escaped the attention of the relevant authorities.
A spokesperson for the District Attorney‘s office gave a statement to PEOPLE, saying:
“The Shelby County D.A.’s Office was made aware of a possible violation of state election law. The matter is under review by the D.A.’s Office.”
Now, the consequences for the violation are – 30 days in jail, or a fine of ‘no more than $50’, or both.
Luckily, an official from the board that controls the polling location Timberlake voted at has his back, telling TMZ the musician shouldn’t be punished, but should instead be praised for championing voting.
Source: People.
Photo: Instagram / @justintimberlake.
