Local and federal law enforcement have been alarmed by reports of people, some armed, watching 24-hour ballot boxes in the two counties.
PHOENIX — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered armed members of a group monitoring ballot drop boxes in Arizona to stay at least 250 feet away from the locations following complaints that people wearing masks and carrying guns were intimidating voters.
A second set of defendants in rural Yavapai County — groups known as the Lions of Liberty and the Yavapai County Preparedness team, who are associated with the far-right anti-government group Oath Keepers — were dismissed from the case on Monday after they pledged to stand down their operations. 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.”
Alexander Kolodin, the lead attorney for the defendants, said the League of Women Voters of Arizona ultimately failed to completely shut down the monitors’ mission. Still, the groups are not happy about the limits, since he said they could prevent them from discouraging ballot box stuffing. Liburdi concluded that “while this case certainly presents serious questions, the Court cannot craft an injunction without violating the First Amendment.” The judge is a Trump appointee and a member of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal organization.said it would join the case, saying that the actions raised serious concerns about voter intimidation.
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