Trump peeks, comedians have a field day

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his wife Melania cast their ballots in New York. Photo / AP

Voting is a personal and private act, even if you're the spouse of a major party candidate. Donald Trump and his wife Melania voted side-by-side at a Manhattan school in New York City.

Cameras caught the Republican candidate as he peeked at his wife while she was casting her ballot. The shot quickly went viral.

Comedian Chelsea Handler tweeted the photo with the caption "When you're worried that your wife copied off of Michelle again," referring to Melania's convention address that seemingly lifted parts from Michelle Obama's speech.

Actor David Schneider added a thought bubble that read "He's looking. Dammit! I want to vote for Hillary."

Alex Howard, a senior analyst at the Sunlight Foundation - a non-partisan organisation that holds the government accountable, included a link to the New York election laws. The underline segment reads:

The operating of the ballot scanner by the voter while voting or the use of a privacy booth or ballot marking device for marking a ballot shall be secret and obscured from all other persons except as provided by this chapter in cases of voting by assisted voters or in cases of children under the age of sixteen accompanying their voting parents or guardians.

In this case, it appears Trump violated his wife's privacy. Donald's son Eric Trump did the same thing to his wife Lara Yunaska as they voted at the 53rd Street Library in New York City.

"Like father, like son," CNN reporter Nathan McDermott tweeted.

For the record, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton voted next to her husband Bill Clinton in adjoining booths in Chappaqua, New York.

In the footage from the event, both the candidate and the former President appeared to be heads down as they voted.

Earlier in the day, Eric Trump tweeted and quickly deleted a shot of his ballot. Doing so is illegal in the state of New York.

- Reuters, AAP

Look at these 2 pictures
When u have to check on who your wife is voting 4 .
It speaks volume. @realDonaldTrump @MELANIATRUMP @EricTrumpFdn pic.twitter.com/5HfP1qutlH

— #TrumpLiedPeopleDIED #TrumpVirus (@keiferla) November 8, 2016