CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Some would-be early voters, who who were waiting in lines to vote, were turned away Monday night from some polling places.
A handful of early voting locations in suburban Cook County sent people home at 7 p.m. Monday night, even though they were already in line to vote.
Anyone who was inside the facility at 7 p.m. was allowed to vote, said the Cook County Clerk's Office spokeswoman Sally Daly, but others in line were sent away.
The Cook County Clerk's Office said that was the plan, because the polling places needed to be prepared for Tuesday morning - Election Day, including reprogramming equipment, cleaning, and stocking up on PPE.
Ami Gandhi, the senior counsel for the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, told the Tribune, “The Cook County Election Judge Manual itself states that anyone in line when early voting ends for the day has the right to cast their ballot and must be allowed to vote. But tonight, voters came out the cold and waited for hours to cast their ballots, only to be turned away without explanation. That needless barrier undoubtedly disenfranchised Cook County voters.”
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The clerk's office said anyone still in line after the polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday will be allowed to vote.