How to Participate

We are looking to collect photographs of every polling place in America during the 2008 elections. You are welcome to participate no matter where you vote, how large or small your polling place is, what kind of ballot you use, or what your party affiliation is.

Here's how to participate:

1. Get ready.

Anyone can submit a photograph of the 2008 elections. Photography of polling places is governed by state and local law — there is no one answer for what is permissible. In our Resources Policy section, you can check with your local state election officials or find the hours of polling places by state.

2. Document democracy.

We are especially interested in photographs that document your voting experience, including what works and what could be improved. If you are wondering what to photograph, take a picture of that! We're looking of photos of interiors, exteriors and other views that are part of your voting experience. Obviously, you need to follow the rules at your local polling place, and you should be respectful of other citizens who may not wish to be photographed.

3. Post your photo.

With your submission of photographs, you will need to fill out some basic information: name and location of polling place, time, type of ballot, and so on. The form allows you to make comments on your experience as well as make suggestions for improvements. This information will be displayed with your photographs. Other guidelines include:

  • You may submit up to five photographs with a single submission.
  • If you wish to submit more than five photographs, please make a second submission (however, you should post your best and most documentary photographs).
  • Do not post old photographs of previous elections.
  • Photographs of polling places may be posted only from the United States as well as from international polling places that are specifically for the U.S. presidential election. U.S. citizens voting overseas may choose "International" in the State category.

4. See America's voting experience.

We expect new photos to be posted starting Tuesday, January 8, 2008. You'll be able to browse photos by location, type, tags, and more. (There are also photographs from the 2006 mid-term elections in the archive.)
Permissions and Local Laws
Photography of polling places is governed by state and local law-there is no one answer for what is permissible. Every state has different election laws, some which allow photos of polling stations and others that do not. It is important to check your states' procedures to find out what is and isn't acceptable. Most states have laws prohibiting loitering or congregation around the polling place, as well as laws prohibiting any type of intimidation or interruption of voters. We require participants in this Project to follow all applicable local, state and federal laws. Additional information can be found in our Resources section.
Creative Commons License
In the spirit of public access and broad dissemination, this is an open-source project. All photographs are contributed under an "Attribution No Derivatives" Creative Commons license. It is understood that all photographs may be shared with other sites, including pollingplacephotoproject.org, aiga.org, designfordemocracy.org and designobserver.com. Further, the database of photographs may be distributed to other sites, commercial and non-commercial, which share the goal of encouraging voter participation in America. Photographs may be used by any news media, including online blogs, that credit the project and the photographer under the terms of the Creative Commons license. Photographs will not be sold individually for personal profit by any participant; any profits accured will be used to support this project, its maintenance as an archive, and expansion of the archive in future elections. It is our goal that these photographs be used, researched and broadly disseminated, and all contributors willingly (and cheerfully) acknowledge that their photographs are a part of this public open source initiative.
Privacy Policy
For other issues regarding your use of this website, see the The New York Times Company's Privacy Policy and Member Agreement .




The Polling Place Photo Project is a program of The New York Times and AIGA, the professional association for design. William Drenttel of Design Observer initiated the project in 2006. The About page details the many participants who have contributed to this project.