# Why are voting boothes allowed in churches?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-voting-boothes-allowed-in-churches/272479>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 2, 2004, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-voting-boothes-allowed-in-churches/272479 "2004-11-02T02:30:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-voting-boothes-allowed-in-churches/272479/21 "2004-11-02T14:24:01Z")

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> [@Cunctator](#):
>
> I just couldn’t imagine a church letting voters wander through the worship areas in order to vote (particularly if there were pews). But renting the utilitarian church hall out to the government to conduct an election - well, that’s another story.

My former church is being used as a polling place this year gratis. I don’t think any of the churches around here rent their space for voting purposes; it’s more of a “doing our civic duty” sort of thing. I suppose **RealityChuck** ’s supermarket does the same thing, but I don’t know. I do know that the fire department at which I used to volunteer also was used as a polling place with no charge to the election commission.  
RR

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**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-voting-boothes-allowed-in-churches/272479/22 "2004-11-02T14:36:52Z")

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I just cast my vote in the Catholic church across the street from where I live. They actually had the polling done in the gym of the small private school attached to the church.

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**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-voting-boothes-allowed-in-churches/272479/23 "2004-11-02T16:43:05Z")

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> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> I just voted in a local supermarket (near the video section). One of my polling places was a sheet metal supply store.

During the '96 elections, here in San Bernardino CA, I saw a polling place inside a Del Taco.

“One Macho Combo burrito, small Coke, and a vote for Bill Clinton please.”

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**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-voting-boothes-allowed-in-churches/272479/24 "2004-11-02T19:16:15Z")

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I voted in a Baptist church today. It was in a hall connected to the church itself. This church seems to have a LOT of community type activities (after school basketball for latchkey kids or bake sales for kids with leukemia, that type of thing).

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**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-voting-boothes-allowed-in-churches/272479/25 "2004-11-02T20:00:21Z")

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Here, voting can incurr on church property, but not in churchs per say.

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**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-voting-boothes-allowed-in-churches/272479/26 "2004-11-02T20:02:47Z")

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Here, voting can incurr on church property, but not in churches per say.

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