April 14, 2008
Vote-rigging fears spark polling booth mobile phone ban
Camera phones have been banned from Italian polling stations amid fears over vote-rigging by the Mafia, according to Amateur Photographer.
"The government crackdown follows previous cases of the Mafia tempting Italians to vote for a particular politician – and telling them to prove who they voted for by photographing their ballot paper.
In previous elections the Mafia paid voters the equivalent of £35 for a picture of their ballot paper, according The Scotsman newspaper.
Voters who fail to hand over their phone at polling stations face a £700 fine or six months in jail, reports the newspaper's Nick Pisa in Rome.
In one such case a man in north-east Italy was reportedly arrested after being caught taking a picture during the elections, which started yesterday.
'Police were called after the noise of a camera click was heard from his booth,' adds the article. 'The mobile phone was confiscated.' "
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