The temporary restraining order was requested by the League of Women Voters of Arizona after Clean Elections USA encouraged people to watch 24-hour ballot boxes in Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous county.
“It is paramount that we balance the rights of the defendant to engage in their constitutionally protected First Amendment activity with the interest in the plaintiffs and in voters casting a vote free of harassment and intimidation,” Liburdi said.
Sheriff’s deputies have been providing security around the two outdoor drop boxes in Maricopa County after a pair of people carrying guns and wearing bulletproof vests showed up at a box in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa. The county’s other 24-hour outdoor drop box is at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in downtown Phoenix, which is now surrounded by a chain link fence.
The temporary order issued by Liburdi on Tuesday will be in effect for two weeks and the cooperation from the monitoring group “shall not be construed as an admission they have engaged in any of these activities,” the judge added.Other stipulations include the groups post on their websites and social media that it is untrue that dropping off multiple ballots is illegal in all cases. Exceptions are allowed for family members, members of the same household and caregivers.
“Today’s U.S. District Court decision is a victory for the voters of Arizona who have the right to cast their ballots free from intimidation, threats, or coercion,” Pinny Sheoran, the group’s president, said in a statement.Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans failed to make its argument against Clean Elections USA. Another defendant, Voto Latino, was also removed from the case.
Luke Cilano, a Lions of Liberty board member, said the organization had dropped its “Operation Drop Box” initiative last Wednesday “due to being lumped in with people who don’t adhere to the law and our rules of engagement.”
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Judge orders armed group away from Arizona ballot drop boxesA federal judge has ordered armed members of a group monitoring ballot drop boxes in Arizona to stay at least 250 feet away from the locations following complaints that people wearing masks and carrying guns were intimidating voters
Read more »
Judge orders armed group away from Arizona ballot drop boxesA federal judge on Tuesday ordered armed members of a group monitoring ballot drop boxes in Arizona to stay at least 250 feet away from the locations following complaints that people wearing masks and carrying guns were intimidating voters. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Liburdi said members of Clean Elections USA, its leader and anyone working with them are also barred from filming or following anyone within 75 feet (23 meters) of a ballot drop box or the entrance to a building that houses one. The temporary restraining order was requested by the League of Women Voters of Arizona after Clean Elections USA, encouraged people to watch 24-hour ballot boxes in Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous county.
Read more »
Judge orders armed group away from Arizona ballot drop boxesA federal judge has ordered armed members of a group monitoring ballot drop boxes in Arizona to stay at least 250 feet away from the locations following complaints that people wearing masks and carrying guns were intimidating voters.
Read more »
Judge keeps armed groups away from Arizona ballot drop boxesPHOENIX (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered armed members of groups monitoring ballot drop boxes in Arizona to stay at least 250 feet away from the locations following complaints that people wearing masks and carrying guns were intimidating voters.
Read more »
Federal judge issues restraining order against group monitoring Arizona ballot boxesA federal judge in Phoenix has issued a restraining order against a group that has been photographing and recording voters casting ballots at drop boxes in Arizona.
Read more »
Judge keeps armed groups away from ballot drop boxesThey also cannot speak to or yell at individuals within that perimeter unless spoken to first. The order will be in effect for two weeks in Arizona.
Read more »