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NJ Lawmaker Wants To Protect Right To Take 'Ballot Selfies' On Election Day

TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A New Jersey lawmaker wants to make sure voters don't get in trouble if they take a "selfie" in the voting booth come election day.

The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, would make taking selfies in the ballot box legal in New Jersey, WCBS 880's Kelly Waldron reported.

Mukherji says its a great way for people to show pride in taking part in democracy.

While some New Jersey voters embraced the idea, others said there was a curtain at the booths for a reason. 

"That's my business who I vote for, and I don't need my picture plastered all over social media showing who I voted for, that's my choice," one voter told Waldron.

Twenty-six-year-old Clarissa Livingstone, of Toms River, New Jersey, says she doesn't believe people would be influenced by seeing ballot photos she or anyone else might post.

She says "they're not going to change their votes once they see how some Jersey girl voted.''

Federal judges have struck down bans on selfies in at least two states, and rules have changed in others. But in many states, taking a picture of your ballot still carries potential fines or jail terms.

It's unclear whether the state law actually prohibits ballot selfies in the state of New Jersey.

Election Day is on Nov. 8.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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