Nevada elections officials have banned wearing chicken suits at polling places, saying such a costume would violate the ban against wearing explicit political messages.
It’s a direct response to weeks of ridicule against Sue Lowden, a Republican challenger to Sen. Harry Reid. The state Democratic Party has been sending people in chicken suits to Lowden campaign events ever since she suggested patients barter for health care.
“Let’s change the system and talk about what the possibilities are. I’m telling you that this works. You know, before we all started having health care, in the olden days, our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor. They would say I’ll paint your house,” Lowden told a local news show in April.
[WATCH Lowden backtrack on her barter system.]
State officials added chicken suits to the list of banned items on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Wearing a chicken costume would be an “inappropriate and obvious” message against Lowden, Washoe County Registrar of Voters Dan Burk told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Lowden’s campaign welcomed the news.
“I think voters will be spared the Harry Reid carnival and that’s a good thing,” said campaign manager Robert Uithoven. “I think most voters are going to the polls thinking about far greater things than Harry Reid’s chickens.”
