Poll worker fired for turning away voters with Black Lives Matter shirts

A poll worker in Memphis, Tennessee, has been fired after turning away early voters who were wearing "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe" shirts, an elections official said Monday.

Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather

The worker was fired Friday after officials received a call from a witness at the Dave Wells Community Center in Memphis, Shelby County Election Commission spokeswoman Suzanne Thompson said.

Tennessee law does not allow voters to wear items bearing the name of a candidate or a political party in a polling place. But state law does not prohibit statements such as "Black Lives Matter," Thompson said.

The number of voters who were told to leave was not immediately known, but Thompson said it was only a few. The poll worker thought the statements were tied to the Democratic Party, Thompson said.

"That was pretty bad," she said. "They were not supposed to be turned away."

Early voter turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 election has been strong in Memphis and throughout Tennessee. Early voting ends Oct. 29 in the state.

VOTING INFO:

DC VOTING 2020: Everything you need to know about voting in the District

Maryland voting guide: County-by-county information on how, when and where to vote

Voting in Virginia 2020: Everything you need to know county by county

© 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.