By Darcie Shinberger
When Chris Sutton walked into the polling place where he's voted for 22 years, the First Presbyterian Church in Macomb, it was just another Election Day. Until a comment from an election judge completely changed the course of his day.
Sutton requested a Democratic ballot, and the poll worker assisting with Macomb Precinct 2 responded: "You should be shot."
"I wasn't sure if I heard correctly, so I asked her 'You think I should be shot?' and she confirmed what she had said," Sutton said Tuesday afternoon following the incident
Besides the comment catching him completely off-guard, he said what happened next was also troubling.
"None of the other election judges said anything about what she just said," Sutton shared.
After casting his ballot, he immediately drove three blocks to the McDonough County Clerk's Office, and spoke to County Clerk Jeremy Benson, who assured him the situation would be handled accordingly. The Community News Brief reached out to Benson after the incident was brought to the newspaper's attention.
"After being made aware of this issue by the voter, I made the decision to remove the poll worker and I went to the polling place and asked her to leave," Benson said. "She will not be allowed to assist with any further elections."
In addition to removing the poll worker, Benson also immediately sent messages to all poll workers to remind them of their duties and responsibilities, including not sharing their personal opinions or political views at the polling stations. According to Benson, his office provides poll worker training to all new and returning workers. It is discussed at each training that no political views can be discussed.
"I was reassured by the County Clerk's response," Sutton noted. "He took me seriously and promised action. I had hopes that Macomb was better than this. This was an unfortunate event, but I have confidence that the County Clerk will work to prevent this from happening again in the future. Jeremy was professional and was truly shocked by what I shared."
In a February 2025 Community News Brief (CNB) story, "Ensuring a Safe & Fair Election," then-County Clerk Gretchen DeJaynes stated that her staff and election judges tirelessly work to ensure all elections uphold the laws, statutes and policies set by the Illinois State Board of Election. DeJaynes told the CNB that election judges also undergo extensive training, and are required to go through trainings every two years. Those serving as election judges have a step-by-step binder at their disposal on Election Day, which outlines every part of the process, she shared.
Information about the State Board of Elections can be found at elections.il.gov.
