An allegation that a voter was intimidated while dropping off their ballot at a drop box in Mesa, Arizona, as early voting is underway in the Grand Canyon State became the focus of a referral to the Justice Department.
The Arizona secretary of state’s office received a report alleging the voter was accused of being a “mule” by a group of people near the drop box at the Maricopa County Juvenile Court on Monday, according to the complaint obtained by ABC15.
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“There’s a group of people hanging out near the ballot dropbox filming and photographing my wife and I as we approached the dropbox and accusing us of being a mule,” the complaint said.
A spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office told the New York Times it has referred the incident to the Justice Department and the state’s attorney general.
The alleged voter intimidation comes days after an error caused nearly 6,000 voters to receive incorrect ballots for the midterm elections.
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) is running against former television news anchor Kari Lake (R) for the state’s governorship. Lake leads Hobbs by 1.6 percentage points, per the RealClearPolitics polling average.
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The Washington Examiner has reached out to the secretary of state’s office for comment.