UF student in hoodie denied vote Thursday

A UF student said she was turned away from voting Thursday for wearing a sweatshirt.

At about 10 a.m., Megan Morey, a UF finance freshman, had stood in line for about 15 minutes at the Tower Road Branch Library when a poll worker told her she couldn’t wear her hoodie while voting.

After returning home to change, the 18-year-old cast her vote about an hour after the incident. The grey hoodie bears the letters C.H.W.C, which stands for Catholic Heart Work Camp, a religious service organization, Morey said.

Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter could not be reached for comment, but in a statement to TV20, Carpenter said if someone was turned away, the incident was a “worker error,” adding that she’s investigating the matter to “make sure it never happens again.”

Florida law does not limit what can be worn to the polls. Political T-shirts and buttons can be worn so long as votes aren’t solicited within 100 feet of the entrance to a polling location.

“There’s no legitimate reason why I was turned away,” Morey said.