Arizona’s Judge Michael Liburdi has banned cameras at drop boxes just days before the midterm elections.
QUICK FACTS:
- Trump-appointed United States District Court Judge Michael Liburdi has ruled that cameras are forbidden at ballot drop boxes throughout the state of Arizona Tuesday until after the election.
- The order aims to ban election grassroots organization Clean Elections USA from coming close to drop boxes, open-carrying guns near the boxes, and “yelling” at people dropping off ballots.
- Liburdi also required Clean Elections USA to issue a statement, reading, “Any past statement that it is always illegal to deposit multiple ballots in a ballot drop box is incomplete; a family member, household member, or caregiver can legally do so.”
JUDGE LIBURDI’S COURT ORDER DIRECTED AT CLEAN ELECTIONS USA:
“Defendants, their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys, and other persons in active concert or participation with them are RESTRAINED from engaging themselves or training, organizing, encouraging, or directing others to, while monitoring drop boxes,” the order states.
BACKGROUND:
- Arizona’s 2020 election was deeply contested, more than 40% of Americans believing Joe Biden did not legitimately win the state in the presidential election.
- Arizona was one of the most hotly contested states, with former President Donald Trump maintaining that the Arizona election results were fraudulent.
- The state legislature has been in conflict over the results, Republicans even attempting to decertify results in three counties earlier this year, according to AZ Family.
- In April 2021, Maricopa County’s Board of Supervisors complained about calls for a forensic review of ballots in the county after they claimed everything was fine, but they wouldn’t allow anyone to get close to the results.
- The board spent weeks after the election messing with ballots before they formally concluded the election results, American Faith reported.
