Election Day Mini-Project: Lobbyists reprimanded for leading voters to advertise candidate within polling place

by Sarah Knowles


The line to vote at Philadelphia’s Community Education Center on 3500 Lancaster Ave. on Tuesday were steady between 10 and 11 a.m. Most ballots were cast without a hitch, however, at approximately 10:15 a.m. lobbyists directly outside the Center were reprimanded for allowing voters to enter the polling place with open pamphlets advertising Senator Arlen Specter’s re-election.

The one-sided pamphlet, paid for by Citizens for Arlen Specter, was given to accepting Community Education Center entrants by one of two lobbyists outside. This simple one-color pamphlet described Specter as “Philadelphia’s Independent Voice” and explained that he had been endorsed by organizations and figureheads such as: Philadelphia Black Clergy, Philadelphia & Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Philadelphia Building Trades Council, SEIU, Local 332 Laborers Union, Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Sheriff John Green, Charlie Bowser, and Henry Nicholas. The only other piece of information on the paper was the fine print at the bottom that stated that the Citizens for Arlen Specter had sponsored the advertisement.

The two lobbyists indeed followed all regulations dictating the distance they must remain away from the front door of the polling place, but were reprimanded for not advising entering voters to keep these pamphlets out of clear view once entering the building.

One of the two volunteers manning the voter registration table (neither of which could be reached for names) noticed that voters were perusing this literature while in line to vote. After ensuring that the registration process was moving along steadily, she excused herself to notify the lobbyists of the violation, indicating that it was the lobbyists’ responsibility to ensure voters would not inadvertently advertise Specter’s campaign within the building.

At this point in the day, approximately 130 voters had already entered and left the polling place.