As the 2022 midterms loom just beyond the horizon here in America, many of us are having flashbacks to the tumult that occurred during and after the 2020 race, in which a vast number of voters began to raise concerns about the integrity of the election.
Spurred on my claims being made by then-President Donald Trump and those within his inner circle, Americans from coast to coast began to fret over just how free and fair our elections were, and whether or not the auxiliary voting apparatuses that employed on account of COVID were affecting the security of the contest.
Now, with just weeks separating us from the midterm election, Arizona officials are concerned about alleged “vigilantes” watching over a ballot drop box in hotly-contested Maricopa County.
Photos and videos from Friday, obtained by ABC News, showed two men dressed in tactical gear and armed with magazines stationed outside a ballot box. The pair left before authorities arrived.
Police began to measure the distance between where the men were standing and the ballot box to make sure they weren’t too close. Arizona law prohibits people from entering the 75-foot limit of a voting location with a weapon, which is considered to be an unlawful act of voter intimidation.
Early voting began in Arizona on Oct. 12. Since then, there have been at least two filed complaints of voter intimidation. On Oct. 20, a voter filed a complaint with the Arizona secretary of state’s office, stating that a group of people was harassing and taking photographs of a voter and his wife as they went to place their ballots. He said the group called them “mules.”
Officials released a statement that reiterated the commitment that Maricopa County has made to election security, but asked any armed individuals to steer clear of ballot locations.
