‘We’ll come and babysit polling sites’: Maricopa County sheriff will keep an eye on ballot drop boxes – By Sasha Hupka (Arizona Republic) / Oct 25, 2022
Law enforcement officers are monitoring outdoor ballot drop boxes as voter intimidation complaints over election observers continue to roll in, Maricopa County officials said.
Groups of people have filmed voters and taken photos of their license plates as they dropped off their early ballots. It’s not a state crime, but it’s making voters uncomfortable.
“People have rights, and I respect those rights,” Sheriff Paul Penzone said Monday of the election observers. “But you can be intimidating without committing a crime. You can make people uncomfortable without committing a crime. It doesn’t make it OK because it’s not a crime.”
He promised to provide as many deputies as needed to ensure safety as U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and state officials warned ballot drop box watchers that they won’t tolerate voter intimidation.
