Police charge two with trespassing at a polling place

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Two men affiliated with the York County Democratic Party were arrested on Election Day after police say they continued to pass out snacks to voters standing in line after the precinct's poll manager asked them to leave.

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James Stoner Burns, 22, of Spartanburg and Nicholas James Clay, 17, of Fort Mill were charged with trespassing, said Sgt. Tony Breeden of the Rock Hill Police Department.

"They had no business there to begin with," said Breeden, one of two officers who responded to the scene. "It was disrupting the voting system. They were causing a disturbance and they had already been told to leave."

The two were handing out drinks and potato chips near the precinct entrance, according to police reports.

Breeden said he didn't know if they were campaigning, but it was clear they were with the Democratic Party.

State law prohibits campaign activity within 200 feet of polling places, and poll managers have the authority to ask people to leave precincts if they're creating a disruption, said Steve Rast, chairman of the York County election commission.

Burns and Clay weren't at the precinct to campaign and didn't mean to cause trouble, said Jim Morton, Burns' lawyer and the party's local chairman.

"They weren't trying to politick," Morton said. "They were just trying to serve people in line. Hopefully, we'll get it straightened out."

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Information from: The Herald, http://www.heraldonline.com

--From the Thursday, November 4, 2004 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle