SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio fans are used to wearing their Spurs pride on their sleeves, or in many cases, on their skin. But ahead of this election, even tattoos supporting the team have rules.
Frankie proudly showed up to vote last week with his Spurs tattoo on his forearm. It’s the team’s logo with Manu Ginobili’s upper body. He was asked to cover it up before casting his ballot.
According to officials, the tattoo can be considered electioneering.
Frankie tells us he was asked to cover his Spurs tattoo before voting last week{p}{/p}
In Texas, electioneering is defined as campaigning too close to a voting location, generally within 100 feet of the entrance. It typically applies to shirts, buttons, or signs supporting a candidate or issue. For this election, even body art can qualify.
“Is having a Spurs tattoo a form of electioneering? And the answer is, it is,” said Jon Taylor, a political science expert at UT San Antonio.
That’s because of Prop A and B on the current ballot.
Prop A proposes raising the hotel occupancy tax by up to 2% to fund a nearly $200 million redevelopment of the Frost Bank Center and rodeo grounds on the east side. Prop B would use more than $300 million of venue tax money for a new Spurs arena downtown.
Michele Carew, the elections administrator for Bexar County, said poll workers were informed ahead of time that voters would likely arrive sporting Spurs tattoos.
“They give the voters options on what they could do, like whether it be covering it up or turning their shirt inside out,” Carew said. “Some have purchased paper tablecloths from a local store. Others have brought in long-sleeve shirts, you know, for voters to use.”
Carew says voters have been very understanding and cooperative with these rules.
We visited a tattoo shop this week to find out how often people come in requesting San Antonio Spurs tattoos, or already have them.
Jason Mendoza at Bright & Bold Tattoo (SBG San Antonio)
“This happens pretty regularly. Some people just want a little basic Spur, some people want like a full-on portrait,” said Jason Mendoza of Bright & Bold Tattoos.
He’s done a lot of both, including a wide-ranging San Antonio piece with the Alamo, state seal, and Spurs logo, and a Popovich portrait sporting a crown.
“People from San Antonio are just loyal to the Spurs. That’s our thing,” Mendoza said.
This is not the first time this rule has taken center stage in Texas.
When the Dallas Cowboys’ relocation vote came up in 2004, Taylor says Tarrant County ran into a similar issue.
UNITED STATES – DECEMBER 16: Cranes surround a stadium under construction that will be home to the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, U.S., on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007. Loyal Dallas Cowboys fans are fuming. The team is asking them to pay as much as $150,000 for the right to buy season tickets for games at the $1.1 billion stadium it’s building, to open in 2009. That’s on top of $340 for each game ticket. (Photo by Mike Fuentes/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“They discovered that people were showing up to the election polls wearing Cowboys T-shirts, hats, and tattoos,” said Taylor.
In San Antonio, future ballots may deal with other downtown redevelopment efforts.
We asked Taylor if this means the Spurs tattoo rules will make a return.
“Unless it’s doing something directly with the Spurs, it probably won’t,” Taylor said.
In addition to Spurs gear and tattoos, voters also cannot wear anything with the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo logo on it.
Voting Information for Bexar County
Early voting for the upcoming election is scheduled from Monday, Oct.20, through Friday, Oct.31, at multiple vote centers across the county from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at most locations.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov.4, and all polling places in the county will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Registered voters may cast their ballots at any countywide polling location