(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Election officials are considering increased security after a confrontation at an early voting site in Champaign.
It happened at a church serving as a polling place. A man walked in wearing a Trump hat. He was informed that wearing the hat at the site was illegal, as it's considered electioneering and not allowed at a polling place.
The county clerk said the man refused to take it off and pulled out his camera. He said he was being denied the right to vote.
There was an altercation between him and another voter.
Election Judge Diane Pritchard spoke to CBS 3 in Champaign.
“Children were crying,” Prtichard said. “It was a very disturbing situation.”
Champaign County State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said the county wants “people to be able to exercise their right to vote freely and fairly without resistance and without drama.”
A recent poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found American voters are approaching the presidential election with deep unease about what could follow, including the potential for political violence, attempts to overturn the election results and its broader implications for democracy.
About 4 in 10 registered voters say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about violent attempts to overturn the results after the November election. A similar share is worried about legal efforts to do so. And about 1 in 3 voters say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about attempts by local or state election officials to stop the results from being finalized.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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