Maricopa County officials expressed that they are concerned over increased reports of voter intimidation at ballot boxes after two armed “vigilantes” were found outside a ballot box on Friday.
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.
BREAKING: @mcsoaz tells @abc15 they are looking into several individuals watching a voter drop box in Mesa, AZ.
I’m told they have magazine clips, dressed in tactical gear, fully disguised. @Garrett_Archer
Video: pic.twitter.com/NEfYdweNlY
— Nicole Grigg (@NicoleSGrigg) October 22, 2022
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.” (SOURCE)
