MAGA-hat wearing election judge sparks turmoil at Missouri polling station: report
A dispute at a Missouri polling station emerged Tuesday after a voter complained that an election judge was wearing a MAGA hat, KOLR 10 reports.
The poll worker eventually removed his cap after a Greene County elections clerk intervened, but the voter who cast his ballot at Glenstone Baptist Church told the television station the county’s response was inadequate.
“No one came here to be provoked and it was very provocative,” voter Ray Martin told the outlet.
“It was unnecessarily disruptive and shows a lack of respect to the process.”
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An argument ensued after Martin confronted the poll worker over the hat. He put on a different hat after Clerk Shane Schoeller intervened.
“I came here personally and spoke to the election judge,” said Schoeller, an announced 2024 GOP candidate for Missouri Secretary of State.
The poll worker worked the rest of his shift.
Schoeller said election judges are discouraged from wearing clothing that could disrupt the voting process, including MAGA clothing.
Martin believes the poll worker should have been removed.
“Why is he still here?” he said.
“What level of misbehavior gets you removed from the situation?”
Schoeller said removing a poll worker would have caused other problems, noting that polling locations are staffed with an equal number of workers from both major political parties.
“We cannot remove an election judge because then you remove the bipartisanship,” he said.
He said the poll workers are trained to avoid talking politics and that in the future their training will include what clothing is appropriate to wear, noting attire isn’t currently part of their training.
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