Usher Loses Popular Vote: Election Officials Under Fire for Letting Singer Cut in Line at Polling Station

R&B crooner raised eyebrows after being escorted through a back door at an Atlanta polling station and zipped to the front of the line

By Alexis L. Loinaz Nov 09, 2012 2:03 PMTags
UsherDavid Livingston/ZumaPress.com

Usher certainly rocked the vote—and not in a good way.

The R&B crooner has come under scrutiny for reportedly cutting ahead in line while voting in an Atlanta suburb, and election bigwigs are asking polling-site officials for an explanation.

Per local TV station WSBTV, the singer voted Tuesday at a community center in Roswell. But when he arrived, election officials reportedly zipped him through a back door of the precinct and straight to the front of the line, bypassing others who'd been waiting ahead of him.

Usher awarded primary custody of kids

The move infuriated other voters, who vented their frustration to local officials and news outlets. The singer also reportedly whipped out his camera phone and shot photos of the polling station.

After being put on the defensive, election officials said in a statement that that site's poll manager "was directed to ensure that [Usher's] presence would not become a distraction by taking necessary measures to move [him] through the process as expeditiously as possible. At no point was this decision made for preferential treatment, but to minimize and avoid a distraction at the poll."

Officials also said that the singer's camp informed the precinct beforehand that the star would be arriving, and that they had given him permission to shoot the photos.

Still, looks like someone didn't win the popular vote here.