Arizona Sends Report of Voter Intimidation to Justice Dept. for Investigation
New York TimesNov 17, 2022
The Facts
Following reports of a voter allegedly being followed by a group of people to an early voting ballot drop box, the Arizona Sec. of State's office has referred the alleged voter intimidation case to the offices of the US Dept. of Justice and Arizona Attorney General.
The unidentified voters complaint stated a group were "filming and photographing my wife and I as we approached the dropbox and accusing us of being a mule," adding, "They took...photographs of our license plate.”
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Intimidation tactics like this are the work of dangerous groups like Clean Elections USA, whose founder has frequently appeared on election-denying Steve Bannon's show. They openly brag about spying on and following voters; this is clearly the work of dangerous MAGA Republicans in another attempt to steal an election.
Republican narrative
Though any form of illegal stalking, harassment, or voter intimidation should be condemned, there is a need for thorough ballot drop box monitoring, which is lacking in certain states. If we want every American to feel the upcoming elections are secure and legitimate, every state must do its part in implementing proper ballot surveillance.
Narrative C
Extensive studies have demonstrated that voter fraud in the US is extremely rare, and allegations that this occurred in the 2020 election — or will occur in the midterms — are baseless. While election integrity must absolutely be protected, chasing phantom voter fraud shouldn't be used as an excuse to undermine free and fair access to voting.