Was told that I need to tear up my ballot and not vote now because you are not supposed to be able to know that much about the candidates while voting and that it's not fair. I asked how it's not fair and was just told that the way the polls work you aren't supposed to be able to look anyone up.
Sounds like he's mixed up with how it works (at least over here, but I think there too, but even more 'gamed' by the lawyer-class) when sat on a jury. That you can basically bring whatever prior knowledge you already happen to have about life
into the case (short of direct connections or associations with the case and its parties) but you are forbidden to do 'independent research' outside of the courtroom and duly designated environs.
Many of the reasons why this is so for jury-duty are also reasons why it should
not be so in electoral voting. (And yet, counter to both these processes there will be some who go into both process with "I'll probably just support X" in mind, long before they know the alternative(s).)
And surely it's verging on voter-suppression to tell someone they should not vote... Regardless of if that potential vote is known (or even suspected), or which way it would/will go, although targetted supression (by design or emergent from an asymmetry of effect) is even worse.