Judge Reportedly Orders Pro-Obama Mural Be Covered Up at Philly Polling Station

Pennsylvania has become a hot-bed of electoral controversy, as numerous polling-related issues have been reported. TheBlaze covered the New Black Panthers' presence at the same polling location they attended back in 2008. And there was also a judge's order to reinstate Republican election officials who were purportedly kicked out by Democrats. And now -- there's a photo floating around social media of a Philadelphia polling station with a massive pro-Obama mural (one that a judge has now reportedly ordered be covered up for the duration of the election).

The image, which is apparently directly behind the voting machines at Franklin Elementary School (Philadelphia's Ward 35), is allegedly positioned in such a way that those waiting to vote are looking directly at it. The giant mural, an image of which quickly spread across Twitter, shows the president holding a microphone along with the words "hope" and "change." A quote from Obama is also included:

Photo Credit: Twitter

While some may dismiss the image or downplay its ability to impact voters, it appears to be a violation of Pennsylvania state election law. According to FOX News, the state's electoral law states that, "no person within a polling place may electioneer or solicit votes for any political party, political body, or candidate, nor may any unauthorized written or  printed materials be posted within the polling place."

Now, it could be argued that the mural was painted long ago and that it doesn't constitute a "person" (we do not, in fact, know its history) and, thus, is not a violation of the law. However, Tim Miller, deputy communications director at the Republican National Committee, tweeted the following message after the picture made its rounds: "Election Judge in PA has ordered Obama mural in polling place covered up."

Here's an image of the judge's order:

Photo Credit: Twitter

A timeline notation by PoliticaPA.com corroborates the judge's actions, writing, "12:27 p.m.: A PA election judge has ordered an Obama mural in a Philadelphia polling place to be covered up."

TheBlaze will share new details as they emerge.

Update: FOX News has posted the following series of pictures showing the mural being covered up:

Photo Credit: FOX News

Photo Credit: FOX News

Photo Credit: FOX News