Some voters have complained alleging voter intimidation after people watching the boxes took photos and videos, and followed voters.
The U.S. attorney's office in Arizona has vowed to prosecute any violations of federal law but said local police were at the "Front line in efforts to ensure that all qualified voters are able to exercise their right to vote free of intimidation or other election abuses." "We will vigorously safeguard all Arizonans' rights to freely and lawfully cast their ballot during the election," the office said Wednesday.
"As the several election threat-related cases pending federal felony charges from alleged criminal activity arising out of our State show, acts which cross the line will not go unaddressed." Tensions were heightened Friday afternoon outside the drop box in Mesa, where one voter drove up on a motorcycle, deposited his ballot, then made an obscene gesture at an Associated Press photographer and a local TV news crew stationed in a parking lot across the street.
The Citizens Clean Elections Commission, an Arizona state agency, voted unanimously Thursday to have its legal counsel seek a court order if necessary to stop the monitoring group from using the "Clean Elections" name.
The commission created in 1998 to provide voters with nonpartisan elections information said it has been barraged with angry calls from people confusing it with the monitoring group.
The second lawsuit that was folded into the first case involves ballot boxes in Arizona's Yavapai County, where the League of Women Voters alleges voters have been intimidated by Clean Elections USA, along with The Lions of Liberty and the Yavapai County Preparedness team, which are associated with the far-right anti-government group Oath Keepers.
There's no evidence for the notion that a network of Democrat-associated ballot "Mules" has conspired to collect and deliver ballots to drop boxes, either in the 2020 presidential vote or in the upcoming midterm elections.
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Federal-judge-merges-Arizona-drop-box-cases-17542082.php
No comments:
Post a Comment