MONTGOMERY CO. — A Magnolia man is given permission to vote with his MAGA hat on, after hours of debating with police.
Tyson Taylor says he was prepared to take it to the courts if he needed to, once law enforcement showed up to escort him out of the Mitchell Library in the Woodlands.
Placed 100 feet from the polls, Taylor began to make his argument for why he should be allowed to vote, regardless of the hat.
A hat that while controversial, Taylor never saw as political. All candidates he says should believe in the concept of making America great, no matter what your political affiliation.
“I was just so disappointed because I felt this is what we’re up against and this was more of a freedom of speech, than political speech movement. The president isn’t even on the ballot,” said Taylor.
The counter by election officials was that even though President Donald Trump wasn’t on the ballot, the hat represented the Republican Party. Red, white, blue, it’s still considered electioneering, which by Texas law, is not permitted within 100 feet of a polling location.
For two hours, Taylor explained to deputies how the Supreme Court’s have already ruled that electioneering laws are too vague.
This June, the Supreme Court did vote to strike down a Minnesota law that keeps voters from wearing clothing that expressed any political views.
The final decision, while complicated, came from the Texas Secretary of State’s office. They called voting officials to say if Taylor really wanted to vote, they could not stand in the way of his constitutional right to do so.
The same officials also said election judges ultimately can make the call on site on a case-by-case basis.
If you’re confused, believe me you’re not alone. What it means is you could in theory, choose to do the same thing Taylor did, but you run the risk of actually being arrested.
Few people may have the patience to wait two hours or even longer, trying to talk your way into voting. Especially when the answer could be as simple as removing your hat.
“The election judge that had to deal with this and with me. The two deputies that were there could not have been nicer, more professional, courteous,” said Taylor.
Most importantly, “understanding.” It it weren’t for the civil nature of the conversation between all parties, Taylor admits this could have been a much different story.
It’s that kind of civility he urges others to bring to any conversation about politics.
“America is about free speech. Have a conversation, bring ideas to the table and lets hammer it out,” said Taylor.