A sinister attack on Arizona's election system is underway. Don't let it prevail

Few things offer a clearer example of voter intimidation than vigilantes donning tactical gear to stake out a ballot drop box.

Two armed individuals at a Mesa voting site are part of an organized effort to watch, videotape and investigate voters dropping off their early ballots, prompting complaints of voter intimidation.

Days before, former President Donald Trump told supporters at a Mesa rally not to vote by mail because they risk getting a “potentially fake ballot.” He urged them to vote on Election Day instead.

Meanwhile, Cochise County Supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby have voted to mandate a hand count of votes for the Nov. 8 election, arguing that they don’t trust the machines counting ballots to produce accurate results.

That’s BS and they know it. But dumb they are not. They know exactly what they’re doing.

They’re helping set the stage for a legal and political showdown to keep discrediting the election process. Theirs and the vigilantes’ work is just an extension of the assault on democracy carried out by the Stop the Steal crowd since Trump lost in 2020.

Complaints have triggered legal action

“Uninformed vigilantes outside Maricopa County’s drop boxes are not increasing election integrity,” Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and Supervisors' board chairman Bill Gates said in a joint statement.

“We are deeply concerned about the safety of individuals who are exercising their constitutional right to vote and who are lawfully taking their early ballot to a drop box,” the two Republicans noted.

They said it best. Transparency over elections is critical, but “voter intimidation is unlawful.”

Vigilante tactics are triggering a flurry of legal complaints and mobilization. Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone is deploying officers to monitor and ensure that voters’ rights are respected. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland also has said the Justice Department “will not permit voters to be intimidated.”

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the Democratic candidate for governor, told the Cochise County supervisors she’ll see them in court if they proceed with a 100% hand count, which many experts contend is illegal.

The League of Women Voters of Arizona also have filed a lawsuit over voter intimidation in Arizona.

Arizona voters have a role to play, too

Election deniers have failed to prove their outlandish claims that the 2020 was rigged against Trump. Yet Kari Lake, Mark Finchem and other Republicans seeking statewide office keep repeating that lie, firing up just enough conspirators to discredit the voting process.

Mandating a likely illegal hand count and posting vigilantes at drop boxes are deliberate attacks on an elections system that allows voters to freely choose their government representatives.

It’s part of a larger, more sinister attack on the voting system in case Kari Lake loses her bid for governor. She has repeatedly told Arizonans she’ll only accept the results if she wins.

Responsible election officials have their work cut out for them.

Penzone's job is to keeping the peace. Interest groups are taking questionable efforts to court.

But you, the voter, also have a huge role to play. Don’t be deterred from voting early if you received a mail-in ballot. Put it in the mail by Nov. 1.

Track your ballot by texting “JOIN” to 628-683 or online at BeBallotReady.Vote. You can receive text updates when your ballot has been received and counted.

Do it proudly, with confidence.

After all, voting freely and respecting the outcome is what democracy is all about.

This is an opinion of The Arizona Republic’s editorial board.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona's election is under attack. Don't let it prevail