An elections official says a poll worker in Memphis, Tennessee, has been fired after turning away early voters wearing "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe" shirts.
Shelby County Election Commission spokeswoman Suzanne Thompson said the worker was fired after officials received a call from a witness at the Dave Wells Community Center in Memphis.
Although state law in Tennessee does not allow voters to wear items bearing the name of a candidate or a political party in a polling place, it does not prohibit statements such as "Black Lives Matter," Thompson told CBS News.
Elections administrator Linda Phillips told WREG-TV that the poll worker had been instructed on the rules, even though he/she told officials that he/she believed that shirts represented the Democratic party. It's not known how many voters were turned away, but Thompson said it was only a few.
"That was pretty bad," Thompson said. "They were not supposed to be turned away."
Early voter turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election has been strong in Memphis and throughout Tennessee. Early voting ends Oct. 29 in the state.
CBS News contributed to this story.