Expert: Michael Troy - 4/30/2011

Question
Is it legal to call someone to jury duty EVERY time they vote?  Where I live the Republicans are pretty powerful.  I am an Independant.  Lately, everytime I vote, I get called for Jury Duty.

This seems like it is designed to discourage my vote.  To me, this seems illegal.

Answer
Hi Terri,

If the act of voting caused you to be called for jury duty, or even increased you chances, there could possibly be a case there.  However, I suspect the relationship is merely a coincidence.  Many jurisdictions do pull jury names from voter rolls, but they do not take into account whether you have voted or not.  Names are pulled at random and it may just be your bad luck to be called so frequently.

If you could prove otherwise, that being called was based on voting or had anything to do with party affiliation, you would probably have a good case.  In such a situation, I would recommend contacting an attorney, or an organization such as the ACLU.  However, proving such a connection would be the key to any such case.

- Mike