A 24-year-old Illinois man was charged with aggravated battery after punching an election judge at an early voting location on Sunday, according to police. Police in the Chicago suburb Orland Park said they were called to the polling site at 11 a.m. after a man was reported causing a fracas in the voting line. They said Daniel Schmidt was “restrained by numerous people” after entering the voting location and trying to blow past a line of people waiting to vote. When an election judge asked him to go to the back of the line, Schmidt refused, at which point a second judge intervened. Police said he tried pushing past the election workers, yelled profanities at them and, when he was prevented again from entering, punched the second election judge in the face. The judge declined treatment. Schmidt faces two counts of aggravated battery to a person over 60 and misdemeanor charges for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, and is due to appear back in court later this month.
