In Texas, sporting the Gadsden flag at the polls is not electioneering, according to a memo released Monday by the Elections Division of the Secretary of State of Texas.
“It is the opinion of this office that people simply wearing a t-shirt or button with the wording ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ displaying the coiled rattlesnake and nothing else are not electioneering for (nor does such action relate to) a candidate, measure or party and such action does not relate to the conduct of the election,” wrote Ann McGeehan, Director of Elections, in a memo regarding “Questions about the Gadsden Flag.”
As The Daily Caller reported last week, at least one Texas voter was told that she could not vote while wearing a button with an image of the Gadsden flag, which has become the unofficial symbol of the Tea Party. At least one election official felt that displaying the image constituted electioneering. The Dallas Tea Party insisted that this was not the case.
The memo issued Monday puts an end to the debate in Texas.