Texas Ban of Electioneering Near Polls Survives on Appeal

Texas laws that prohibit signs and political apparel in and around polls on Election Day pass constitutional muster, the Fifth Circuit said.

Polling places are nonpublic forums in which communication can be restricted based on content to further the state’s interest “in maintaining a polling place free of distraction and disruption,” the court said Wednesday. States are required only to draw a reasonable line that establishes a sensible basis for distinguishing what speech may or may not be permitted, it said.

The Texas ban on wearing a “political badge, political button, or other political insignia” in a poll didn’t violate ...