Did Justin Timberlake Break the Law?

It seems that taking a selfie can get you in big trouble. Let us explain- In an effort to help “rock the vote,” took a selfie of himself at a polling site in Memphis, his current registered location to vote.

However, it is illegal to take photos in polling areas in over a dozen states and the rules are unclear in 13 states, including Tennessee.

Justin Timberlake posted a selfie on his Instagram account saying, “No excuses, my good people!”

“There could be early voting in your town too. If not, November 8th! Choose to have a voice! If you don’t, then we can’t HEAR YOU! Get out and VOTE!”

We found a copy of the photo but the selfie has since been removed from Timberlake’s Instagram account.

Originally, it was reported that the Shelby County Communications Director, Vince Higgins, stated that the matter was being addressed. But as of Wednesday afternoon, The Commerical Appeal reported that Higgins may have spoken too soon.

“While we are aware of an allegation that someone may have violated a Tennessee state election law, we have not been presented anything by an investigative authority,” Higgins said.

“The statement released earlier (Tuesday) by my office regarding Justin Timberlake and an investigation was incorrect and was released without my knowledge,” District Attorney General Amy Weirich said in an emailed statement later in the day, adding: “No one in our office is currently investigating this matter nor will we be using our limited resources to do so.”

As a reminder to Tennesseeans of the current law of no cell phone photos in polling areas, State of Tennessee Secretary of State released the following statement.

“We’re thrilled Justin can’t stop the feeling when it comes to voting so much that he voted early in person and is promoting voting to his millions of fans,” said the office’s spokesman Adam Ghassemi. “In Tennessee, using electronic devices inside polling locations to take pictures, videos or make calls is not allowed. We hope this encourages more people than ever to vote, but Tennesseans should only use their phones inside polling locations for informational purposes to assist while voting, like our free GoVoteTN mobile app. If polling officials discover someone violating this law they will ask the voter to put their phone away.”

If you are wondering which states allow cell phones in polls, see the graphic below from VOX labeling the states where you can take a selfie.