The shirt worn by the man – who was not identified in the news report – depicts a noose hanging from the top of the Confederate rebel flag, along with the words, "Mississippi Justice."
However, local officials said the man didn't break any voting laws.
Posted by FOX13 Memphis on Wednesday, November 7, 2018
According to DeSoto County officials, the man did not break any laws by wearing the shirt to the polls.
That is despite fierce backlash from the Mid-South community.
The NAACP branch in Jackson told WHBQ that it is aware of the picture, and its DeSoto County branch office is looking into the situation further.
“It’s a sad time that people still have that mindset,” said Clarence Walker, a resident.
DeSoto County election commissioner Paul Beall told WHBQ that he has been contacted about the photo by dozens of people.
Beall said the man in the photo is an unidentified voter, and he was being assisted by a poll worker on a new machine designed for handicapped people.
There is a law, however, against “distributing campaign literature” or wearing a shirt with an active candidate’s name on it within 150 feet of a polling location.
Officials are not investigating the incident any further, although many across the Mid-South said the laws should change based on that photo alone.
“There’s no reason why you should fear the person next to you,” Walker said.
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