Taking A Selfie In UK Election Booth may cost you £5,000

If you’re of a certain generation, here’s a really, really important warning ahead of tomorrow’s vote: Taking a picture in the voting booth could earn you a £5,000 fine or 6 months in prison.

The law that makes it illegal to pose next to your ballot is Section 66 of the Representation of the People Act 1983. Exposing your ballot number, your vote or someone else’s vote is a violation of the secrecy clauses.

"Due to the potential breach of the law, intentionally or not, we strongly advise against any form of photography taken inside a polling station,” the Electoral Commission told BBC News.

“However, if a voter would like to highlight their participation in the elections, we suggest this is done outside the polling station before or after they vote.”

Because there’s no exact law dealing with selfies, the rules may differ between polling stations – keep an eye out for “no photography” signs at your designated station. And if the staff at the station ask you to delete a photo you’ve taken, you’d best oblige.

When can you take your nationalistic “voter pride” pics? Take one outside the station before or after voting, pose next to the polling station sign on the lamppost outside, or keep your eyes peeled for a candidate to pose with outside the station.

They’ve had plenty of practice in the lead up to Election Day:

And if you’d like to be included in our round-up at the end of the day, post with the hashtag #BoastAboutYourVote.