REDFIVE48
Regular Member
Was voting in Charlotte at my local polling place (a church) yesterday while OC my Glock 43. I filled out the first form where you list your name and address and sign it and was directed to the tables to get my ballot. While waiting in line for my ballot, a poll worker approached me very aggressively stating I wasn't allowed to have my firearm with me. I asked what law that was that he was trying to enforce. At this point he yells for the Chief Judge of the polling location and informs him I have my firearm. The Chief Judge then comes over in a loud and aggressive manner telling me I can't have the firearm, so I ask what law that is to him. He proceeds to tell me I can't have it in a polling location - I reply that I can. He says I can't have it in a church - I reply I can. He says I can't have it in a bank - I reply I can.
At this point they are not allowing me to vote and are attempting to take the paper form I filled out and signed. I refuse to allow them to have it back as I continue my discussion.
I ask if there was a sign at this location posted prohibiting it that I may have not seen on my way in, he takes me to a table in the foyer with a big election poll location listing saying this location is protected or reserved or something, not quite sure. Again, I see no posting prohibiting firearms, but I have things to do and want to cast my ballot so I walk outside while they are following me. I stop outside the entrance door as I don't have the keys to the vehicle as my wife has them and she is inside casting her ballot. They begin to get excited again, and the original poll worker is recording while we are outside, saying I'm not allowed to have the first form I filled in with my name and signature as it's their property and its a crime, now my second crime. I tell the Chief Judge to come and take it from me, at which point he says 'Oh, you're going to shoot me', to which I calmly reply 'No, I'm not going to shoot you'. He instead chooses to pull out his phone and call 9-1-1.
Fortunately he didn't lie to them when 9-1-1 asked if I was being aggressive, he said no since I was calm the whole time.
My wife then exits the polls and asks if I would like her to put the gun away in the car so I can vote. I remove the holster (with the gun in it) from my belt, hand it to her, and walk inside to get my ballot. After I went inside, the Chief Judge got off the phone with 9-1-1 and went over to my wifes car and started taking pictures of it. While my wife was waiting for me, a woman who I think was behind me originally in line, told her this was ridiculous, and she was a CCW holder.
Inside, I was given my ballot and I walked over to a voting machine. The original poll worker came over and assisted me in getting the machine set up for my ballot. At this point I see the Chief Judge walk to the ballot table and talk to the person who gave me my ballot, I assume to get her to tell him who I was based off the voter rolls she used. He then came over and took the piece of paper with my name and address and signature on it that the poll worker used to set up the voting machine and disappeared off to some other part of the business. When he approached the worker I asked if the police were on the way or if he was still ignorant. He responded aggressively again but can't be certain what it was he said.
I finished voting, got my ballot from the machine, entered it into the scanning machine, grabbed my 'I voted' sticker and departed.
This morning I called CMPD records to get the case number of the 9-1-1 call and then emailed the records division for the 9-1-1 recording and any body worn camera footage there may be related to the incident. I was not recording as apparently that isn't allowed at voting locations either. The records division did say that no police report was filed. I did take a picture of the Chief Judges name tag (so I would have his name for my complaint), and the funny thing is he appears to live about a block away from me in my neighborhood.
Thoughts on next steps or anything else on how it was handled?
At this point they are not allowing me to vote and are attempting to take the paper form I filled out and signed. I refuse to allow them to have it back as I continue my discussion.
I ask if there was a sign at this location posted prohibiting it that I may have not seen on my way in, he takes me to a table in the foyer with a big election poll location listing saying this location is protected or reserved or something, not quite sure. Again, I see no posting prohibiting firearms, but I have things to do and want to cast my ballot so I walk outside while they are following me. I stop outside the entrance door as I don't have the keys to the vehicle as my wife has them and she is inside casting her ballot. They begin to get excited again, and the original poll worker is recording while we are outside, saying I'm not allowed to have the first form I filled in with my name and signature as it's their property and its a crime, now my second crime. I tell the Chief Judge to come and take it from me, at which point he says 'Oh, you're going to shoot me', to which I calmly reply 'No, I'm not going to shoot you'. He instead chooses to pull out his phone and call 9-1-1.
Fortunately he didn't lie to them when 9-1-1 asked if I was being aggressive, he said no since I was calm the whole time.
My wife then exits the polls and asks if I would like her to put the gun away in the car so I can vote. I remove the holster (with the gun in it) from my belt, hand it to her, and walk inside to get my ballot. After I went inside, the Chief Judge got off the phone with 9-1-1 and went over to my wifes car and started taking pictures of it. While my wife was waiting for me, a woman who I think was behind me originally in line, told her this was ridiculous, and she was a CCW holder.
Inside, I was given my ballot and I walked over to a voting machine. The original poll worker came over and assisted me in getting the machine set up for my ballot. At this point I see the Chief Judge walk to the ballot table and talk to the person who gave me my ballot, I assume to get her to tell him who I was based off the voter rolls she used. He then came over and took the piece of paper with my name and address and signature on it that the poll worker used to set up the voting machine and disappeared off to some other part of the business. When he approached the worker I asked if the police were on the way or if he was still ignorant. He responded aggressively again but can't be certain what it was he said.
I finished voting, got my ballot from the machine, entered it into the scanning machine, grabbed my 'I voted' sticker and departed.
This morning I called CMPD records to get the case number of the 9-1-1 call and then emailed the records division for the 9-1-1 recording and any body worn camera footage there may be related to the incident. I was not recording as apparently that isn't allowed at voting locations either. The records division did say that no police report was filed. I did take a picture of the Chief Judges name tag (so I would have his name for my complaint), and the funny thing is he appears to live about a block away from me in my neighborhood.
Thoughts on next steps or anything else on how it was handled?