Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays said her predecessor used the Election Crime Division to investigate hundreds of fake election fraud allegations, but she shifted the division’s focus to election-related threats. and said it would change to protect voting rights.
“We are in an almost perilous situation in the state in the sense that one-third of our counties are now losing high-ranking election officials to death threats and harassment. It is unacceptable.” Mays said in an interview with the Arizona Mirror.
Former Republican AG Mark Brnovic, whom Mays was replaced this year, persuaded state legislatures to create an Election Integrity Unit so that his office could have a dedicated team to investigate allegations of election fraud. bottom. But Brnovic buried what is arguably the most important job in his 10,000-hour investigation uncovering hundreds of fraud claims related to the 2020 election.maize announced the results of the survey Early this month.
The Election Integrity Division is also investigating much larger efforts to undermine the will of voters. It is also under federal investigation and has attracted the attention of investigators in Washington, DC.
“I’m not sure if my predecessor investigated fake electors,” Mays said when asked about the investigation plan for Republicans to send electors. fraudulent voter rolls For former President Donald Trump to Congress on Jan. 6, using the state seal.Governor Katie Hobbs when she was secretary of state Asked Brnovic to investigate the use of the coat of arms As for unofficial documents, Brnovic mostly silent about the problem.
Morning headlines delivered to your inbox
Arizona had multiple “fake electoral” schemes. One has ties to the Arizona Republican Party and is said to have been done at the request of the Trump campaign, including former AZGOP chair Kerry Ward, state senator Jake Hoffman, state senator Anthony Kahn, and Turning Point USA’s Stakeholders, including CEO Tyler Bowyer, were involved. federal investigation.
another group, Sovereign Citizen of Arizonaagain Created an alternate list of electors For Trump, regardless of the campaign’s efforts to overturn the election results.
“I will investigate the situation of fake electors and take seriously any effort to undermine our democracy,” Mays said. “These are the cases I take most seriously.”
Mayes did not elaborate on the status of the investigation or comment further.
But Mays has spoken of her plans to use her office as a “deterrent” to actions that have created an environment in which the Arizona Election Commission has begun to act. To quit a job at a fast pace.
“We need to make sure election officials feel supported and safe,” Mays said. “The fact that election officials are resigning in his third of our counties should be a wake-up call for the entire state.”
Since the 2020 election, Threatening election officials It is on the rise nationwide. Arizona is at the forefront of these threats, FBI and U.S. Department of Justice must be involved multiple cases.
Most recently, veteran Cochise County Election Commissioner Lisa Mara stepped down. In her resignation letter, she described her workplace as hostile due to months-long narratives in which Mara confronted election conspiracy theorists within the county government.chaos indeed”
Last year, the Yavapai County elections official resigned before midterm Election by intimidation over 18 months she received.Republican-controlled Yavapai County has become a hotbed of hostile activity, originally planned by the Oath Keepers, a rebel militia group. Armed Ballot Box Warden before a federal court blocked the group’s involvement.
Mayes said she was “disturbed” by the footage of armed men looking at the dropboxes and was on the road to starting talking to law enforcement agencies across the state. So far, Mays has spoken with Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone and Yavapai County Sheriff David Rose, and will continue to work with all 15 county sheriffs and statewide law enforcement over the next 18 months. He said he planned to speak.
A spokesperson for the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said Mays spoke with Rose and discussed a number of law enforcement issues, but that “the discussion of the election was very minimal and there was no specific discussion.” .
Making sure voters feel safe and secure when using drop-boxes is a top priority, Mayes said, which means making sure agents in the Attorney General’s Office are with law enforcement. Mayes now has 60 agents in her office who work directly with her.
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone told the Mirror, “I have zero tolerance for anyone who breaks the law, who intimidates voters, or who tries to count the votes.
MCSO lawmakers had to be dispatched in riot gear to deal with mobs of angry and armed election deniers during the 2020 elections. Landed at the Maricopa County Tally CenterHis agents also had to dedicate security to electoral officials who faced threats for their jobs.
During the midterm elections, the MCSO spent approximately $675,000 on election security. Penzone expects this amount to be “significantly” higher in the next election. “Operations” for Dropbox.
“When the last election was over, we got to start planning for the next one,” Penzone said. “We are seeing a surge and a growing call to action where there are more actors trying to undermine the process.”
Penzone said most of the threats weren’t something the office could have dealt with, but there was a lot of activity.From threats coming through physical emails, phone lines and social media, there’s a lot to face. .
“There’s a lot of chatter that doesn’t cross the criminal threshold, which is inherently a concern,” Penzone said. increase.”
Penzone added that he was most concerned about people they were unaware of. He doubled down on the statement in an interview with Miller.
Threats to Dropbox are already affecting voting rights groups. shift in tactics How to communicate with voters during the midterm elections.saw that too DOJ Observer Coming down on the state in numbers the state hasn’t seen in years.
But for Mays, the Election Integrity Division can change those issues and strengthen voting rights issues in the state.
“We want to repurpose the Division of Election Integrity as a division of the Attorney General’s Office focused on protecting Arizona’s democracy and specifically to protect election officials from death threats and intimidation. “I’d also like the department to think about how we can strengthen voting rights in Arizona,” she added.
Mays said the office is considering any necessary changes to existing legislation to further these goals.
“What we plan to do in the next six months is to research all the applicable laws in this area to see if we need to change or update the language,” said Mayes, who has yet to see anything. I added no. To do that, we must work with the Governor, Secretary of State, and Congress.
Given that Democrats hold the executive branch and Republicans control Congress, unanimity may be difficult. And that Republican majority has continued to focus on unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the 2020 and 2022 elections this year. This is the same kind of intimidation that led to the kind of intimidation that led to election officials resigning from their positions.
Mays nevertheless believes this is a bipartisan issue, reiterating that threats to both volunteer workers, hired officials and elected officials have occurred in “red and blue counties.” .
“For me, it’s a top priority,” she said.
While his office remains focused on protecting communities, Penzone said it has also inadvertently intimidated voters themselves by making polling stations and ballot boxes look like a “police state.” I try not to. But like Mays, Penzone reiterated the need to reassess how Arizonans view each other.
“I think right now we look across the aisle and judge people based on the one letter they use to vote,” Penzone said. think.
