April, Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb — Rep. Senator Kirsten Cinema (Democrat) candidate for Senate seat — posted video It shows him in a helicopter “just south of Pinal County.” From a bird’s-eye perch high above the terrain on the U.S.-Mexico border, Mr. Lam announced, “They’re bringing in tons of drugs through here,” adding, “If you chase them, they’ll kill you.” I will run away,” he added.

The video shows Lam on the ground fighting immigrants who entered the United States to claim their rights. exile, which is legal under federal and international law.A fully armed lamb wearing a cowboy hat Involved along with a group of women and children accused them of lying. This is highly-crafted propaganda to serve as an advertisement for the Lamb Senate campaign under the auspices of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.

Ram bought the helicopter with funds from Operation Stone Gardena federal program that funds local law enforcement agencies.Support joint efforts to secure US borders.“Such money can be used for labor, equipment, or travel expenses as far as it relates to”.border security2017 audit An investigation into the program by the Inspector General’s Office found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administered the subsidy, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection would “monitor Stone Garden grant recipients, issue guidance, and approve costs.” He did not fulfill his supervisory responsibility.” And demonstrate your program’s performance. ”

Since announcing his campaign for the Senate, Lam has used his platform to spread conspiracy theories about immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border.intrusion” introduced in the campaign video on Facebook. “We have to stop this invasion or we will have big problems,” he said. Candidates and lawmakers are not afraid of threats of violence.

Another campaign video shows Ram to call It is for the US military to “wipe out” the drug cartels “just like ISIS.” “I have been very frustrated as a sheriff, but now I am fully committed to the US Senate race,” he said. Said on Fox News. He described “securing borders” and “fighting cartels” as “target‘ shows an illustration of the sheriff himself firing an assault rifle into a desert landscape. The viewer will have to imagine who is on the other side of the gun.

Lamb’s anti-immigrant fervor, however, echoes the point of the “”.white replacementConspiracy theories propagated by far-right advocates like Tucker Carlson are also attacks on American democracy. Historian Kathleen Brew told NPR:The idea that America’s demographics are changing, potentially benefiting the Democratic Party, is at the root of the Republican effort to stop all votes being counted. This comes with gerrymandering. This comes with disenfranchisement efforts and the abolition of drive-in and mail-in voting. All of this is like mechanical disenfranchisement tied to white supremacy in some very relentless way. And it will take an enormous amount of work to sort it out and ensure a democratic process. ”

Let’s not forget that Ram was one of the most prominent supporters. truth vote — A far-right group spreading baseless voter fraud conspiracies — Even campaigning for donations while the organization is active misrepresented finances and lied to donors. In a “secret” meeting with True the Vote supporters, Ram asked for donations, said the funds would be used to “encourage the sheriff to enforce the law.” (According to my report, Lamb’s scope of activity was limited to sending letters to the Sheriff. now defunct website.) lamb publicly Touted Dinesh D’Souza’s intriguing film 2000 Lava has been debunked.When Pinal County residents wary of Mr. Lam’s anti-democratic views came to express their views at a public comment at the county council, Mr. Lam called they are non-American.

Of course Ram is wrong. Participating in democratic processes such as voting, public comment, and political speech without the threat of violence from law enforcement or vigilantes is typical American. Pinal County residents who expressed concern about the sheriff acted as models of democratic ideals by participating in debates and holding elected officials to account wherever they could.

Despite the fact that the right to vote applies to all citizens regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender identity, Mr. Lam’s public personality and political activism (which is funded by American tax dollars) to spread cautious theories about demographic change.

In Arizona, voters were harassed and intimidated by armed vigilantes who patrolled ballot boxes and took pictures of license plates. Other self-monitoring groups videotape voter registration as evidence in criminal prosecution.of Yuma County, Arizona, a woman was sentenced to 30 days in prison based on one such video, even though the Sheriff’s Office and Attorney General’s Office failed to link her to a broader conspiracy. . (she pledged guilty of one count ofballot abuse” said one Yuma County resident. new york times He claimed that prosecutors were blocking other people from voting. ”[Residents] They feel that if they do something wrong, they will be nailed down. ”

Democracy is more than voting. Spreading lies and conspiracy theories purporting to be “hordes” of immigrants fuels hate crimes and everyday vigilance, with deadly consequences. This year, Arizona Rancher He shot and killed an immigrant who claimed to have been on his property. (Ram himself Expressed Endorsement for the shooter, he had previously written a self-published novel about killing Latinos).

Democratic processes are undermined when people are afraid to leave their homes.States are passing bills at an alarming rate that narrows voting rights ID requirements, limited polling places and gerrymandering. But Republicans are also threatening democracy by making this country a place where people are afraid to leave their homes, afraid of public spaces, afraid to speak. There can be no democracy unless voters are free from violence.

Jessica Pischko is an independent journalist and attorney who focuses on how the criminal justice system and law enforcement interact with political power. As a contributor to Democracy Docket, Pischko writes about the criminalization of elections and how sheriffs in particular pose a threat to democracy.