By Darcie Shinberger
On March 18, The Community News Brief located the contact information for the McDonough County poll worker who was removed from her duties on Election Day, March 17 for making a threatening comment to a voter, and subsequently reached out to ask questions about the interaction and her removal from her election judge duties. The following response was provided:
“I have already resigned as a poll watcher, and I am ashamed of what I said,” she told the CNB. “I can’t take back what I said. Please accept my apology. I can’t stop crying for what I said, and I have been praying to the Father for his forgiveness. I will keep praying that I can change.”
The response is related to a report from Macomb resident Chris Sutton, who, upon requesting a Democratic ballot at the polling place where he's voted for 22 years, the First Presbyterian Church, was met with a threatening comment. The poll worker assisting with Macomb Precinct 2 responded to his declaration with:: "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.
As reported by The Community News Brief (CNB) March 17, 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 CNB 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."
Sutton has no further comment on the situation, nor the apology that has been extended.
In addition to removing the poll worker, who Benson said was an "experienced" poll worker, with at least two or three elections under her belt, 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 hoped 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 follow-up with Benson on March 18 in regard to other reports or complaints, Benson noted that he also received an additional report via email from another voter, Lindsay Douglas (who gave The Community News Brief permission to use her name), at the same location (Precinct 2). The email reads:
“I wanted to share my experience from earlier today, as it may be related to what was reported earlier. I am hopeful it involves the same individual and not multiple instances of similar behavior. I voted at the Presbyterian Church polling location at approximately 10:40 a.m. (Precinct 1102). Upon arrival, I was directed to the correct table by two poll workers who were both courteous and helpful. However, when I was asked which party ballot I preferred, I responded “Democrat.” The poll worker who asked the question audibly sighed, and her demeanor noticeably changed. While the interaction was brief and I did not feel unsafe, the response came across as unprofessional and suggested a lack of neutrality in carrying out her duties.”
“Based on the description of the situation in the subsequent email, I have assumed this was the same judge who was removed shortly after the other incident with Mr. Sutton was reported,” Benson said. “At this time, these are the only two reports that my office has received regarding any misconduct at county polling locations.”
Douglas told the CNB she was “thrilled” at how quickly Benson responded to her email.
“I anticipated not getting a response,” she said. “I also volunteered to work as a poll worker in the next election.”
