Nationally, there are no statistics on the number of houses of worship that host polling places. Churches and synagogues are often chosen for their large auditoriums and parking lots, which aren't usually used on Tuesdays.
An AP search found mosques in California, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Ohio that serve as polling places, one of them since at least 2004. But Ruiz said he is unaware of any Florida mosques that host voting.
The First Amendment bans government endorsements of religion, but some courts have approved of placing polling stations at houses of worship. U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, in a 2007 Palm Beach County case, rejected a lawsuit by a Jewish photographer who argued that having to vote in a Catholic church violated his rights.
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