Elections

Far-Right Group Sued Over Arizona Drop Box Stakeouts

CLOSING TIME

The lawsuit accuses Clean Elections USA and QAnon-linked founder Melody Jennings of violating the Voting Rights Act and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871.

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Arizona Secretary of State

A far-right group staking out ballot drop boxes in Arizona is being sued by the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino over alleged “voter intimidation practices.” The lawsuit, which was filed Monday, accuses Clean Elections USA and QAnon-linked founder Melody Jennings of violating the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voter intimidation, and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, which prohibits “conspir[ing] to prevent, by force, intimidation, or threat, any citizen who is lawfully entitled to vote, from giving his support or advocacy in a legal manner.” Clean Elections USA members, among others, have been seen at drop boxes in the state, some armed, many in tactical gear. The lawsuit comes on the heels of three new voter intimidation complaints filed by Arizona residents who say they have been harassed by self-styled “drop box watchers” staking out voting sites in the state. The latest allegations, shared with The Daily Beast by the Arizona Secretary of State’s office, have been referred to the FBI and bring the total number of complaints filed, as of Tuesday, to at least six.

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