Obama's Mural in Philadelphia Polling Place

On Election Day 2012, voters at a Philadelphia polling place found themselves walking past a giant mural of President Obama on their way to the voting machines. After Republican complaints of illegal electioneering, a judge ordered the mural covered. Poll workers complied in the most minimal way possible: they taped a few sheets of paper over Obama's face and left the rest, including a quote from the president, in full view.

What was the mural?

The mural hung on a wall inside Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Ward 35, which was serving as a polling station. It carried the words "hope" and "change" alongside a quote from Obama. School district spokesman Fernando Gallard said the mural had been created in 2009 following a student vote; it was school art, not campaign material.

That distinction did not satisfy Republicans. Pennsylvania election law bars electioneering inside a polling place, and a Romney spokesman tweeted that morning that voters were "being forced to cast their ballots next to this." Pennsylvania's deputy secretary for external affairs and elections, Shannon Royer, called the situation "an absolute disgrace" and said it could be interpreted as an attempt to influence voters inside the polling place.

What did the judge order?

Common Pleas Judge John Milton Younge ordered the mural covered "in its entirety with blank paper or other similar matter, so that the mural is invisible in its entirety for the duration of the election on November 6, 2012." Photographs taken after the order showed the compliance was partial: Obama's face was covered, but most of the mural remained visible.

Why did it become a national story?

It fed into a day of competing Election Day narratives in Philadelphia, including a separate court order the same day reinstating Republican election officials who said they had been ejected or blocked from polling sites. The mural became a symbol of the wider fight over what counts as electioneering when a school doubles as a polling place.

FAQ

Was the mural painted for the campaign? No. Per the school district, students voted for it in 2009, three years before the election.

Did covering it matter to the result? Obama went on to win Pennsylvania and the presidency that night. The mural was a process story, not a vote-count story.

What does Pennsylvania law actually ban inside polling places? No electioneering or soliciting votes for any party or candidate, and no unauthorized written or printed materials posted within the polling place.

The takeaway

Schools make convenient polling places, but they come decorated with the opinions of their communities. The Ward 35 mural was a reminder that "neutral ground" is harder to arrange than it sounds, especially on Election Day.