US midterm elections: Arizona officials ask DOJ to investigate possible voter intimidation

The midterm elections in the United States would determine whether the Democratic Party maintains its control of Congress. As states begin voting, election officials in Arizona have requested the Justice Department to investigate a potential voter intimidation case.

Arizona officials have asked the DOJ to investigate a case of possible voter intimidation as a group of people allegedly followed and filmed a voter in Maricopa County dropping off a ballot at the ballot box. The spokesperson for Arizona’s Secretary of State, Sophia Solis, said Thursday last week that her office also asked the Arizona Attorney General to look into the matter. The Justice Department also confirmed that it received the referral.

In a report filed by the Arizona secretary of state’s office that was obtained by Reuters, the voter said the incident took place Monday evening while early voting was underway at the Mesa juvenile court. The voter said the group of people also took photos of their license plate when they were followed to their car, and that the group of people accused them of being a “mule.”

The “mule” accusation refers to the documentary by right-wing pundit Dinesh D’Souza who falsely claimed that President Joe Biden’s election victory in swing states was attributed to 2,000 people or “mules” that were hired by unknown nonprofits to engage in “ballot trafficking.” The false claim gained traction amongst the supporters of Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, who to this day refuses to admit defeat.

Officials in three other states; North Carolina, Colorado, and Nevada, also reported incidents of voter intimidation in the current election cycle, but it remains to be seen if any incident was criminally referred.

Politico reported Monday that the federal government is set to issue a warning this week about potential threats to the country’s elections operations ahead of the November 8 elections.

The internal intelligence bulletin will cite potential cyber threats from China and Russia, along with potential physical threats to election officials nationwide, according to people familiar with the matter.

The upcoming warning comes as two senior US officials said domestic disinformation campaigns and local threats to election workers are emerging as a major concern in the leadup to the midterm elections.