It is great to be with friends,” Rhodes said in an August 2021 meeting, also noting that his predecessor was in attendance and had spoken during previous meetings. “I’ve got to tell you, this is one of my favorite groups. Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes has spoken to the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers on two separate occasions, the Arizona Mirror confirmed. “We have already coordinated with Sheriff Rhodes and he told us that if we see somebody stuffing a ballot box and if we get a license plate they will make an arrest and there will be a prosecution.” “For the November election we would like to post people there in addition to the cameras to have eyes on target to be able to notify law enforcement,” Arroyo said in the meeting, referring to the cameras the Yavapai County Recorder’s Office has already installed on the drop boxes around the county. Jim Arroyo, the leader of the Arizona Oath Keepers chapter said in a video of their July meeting that the group sent out an email to everyone in the group’s roster, which included 1,000 people. On its website the group members describe themselves as “conservative patriots” who say the country has been hijacked and undermined by “global elites, communists, leftists, deep state bureaucrats, and fake news.” The Yavapai County Preparedness Team is the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers and is working with a group called the Lions of Liberty on what they call “Operation Drop Box.” One of those groups is connected directly to the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers, an anti-government extremist group. Now, groups are organizing events to keep an eye on drop boxes in Arizona in an attempt to watch for alleged “mules” or other instances of wrongdoing in the Arizona general election. The practice, pejoratively referred to as ballot harvesting, is illegal in Arizona. Former President Donald Trump pardoned D’Souza for that crime.ĭ’Souza’s film alleged that they were able to track “ballot mules” using purchased geolocation data who were paid to stuff ballot boxes with completed ballots. Multiple films by D’Souza have focused on his political enemies, as well as mentioning his conviction for campaign finance fraud. The increased attention to ballot drop boxes comes in the wake of the debunked film “2000 Mules” by controversial conservative figure Dinesh D’Souza. You see us everyday and you better believe we are watching you,” one video says on a website that advocates for watching of drop boxes, run by an anonymous Arizona resident who has fallen deep into COVID and election conspiracy theories. The groups’ sometimes violent rhetoric has advocates worried, and some local politicians are stirring the pot. Fringe anti-government groups are planning to watch drop boxes and the polls in Arizona, spurred by conspiracy theories.
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