Voters seek injunction against right-wing vigilantes intimidating them at Arizona ballot drop boxes

A group of Arizona voters have asked for a temporary restraining order against a right-wing group they accused of intimidation at ballot drop box locations.

An association for retirees and an organization for Latino voters filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Clean Elections USA and its founder Melody Jennings were violating the Voting Rights Act and civil rights law with a “coordinated campaign of vigilante voter intimidation," reported CNN.

“Defendants’ organized vigilante groups have already turned away voters," the lawsuit alleges. "Under any circumstance, Defendants’ conduct would be objectively intimidating. But, in the current charged political climate, Defendants’ actions carry with them exacerbated threats. There is no guarantee that the crowds that Defendants have mobilized and are continuing to stoke will remain peaceful.”

The lawsuit highlights three complaints submitted to election officials in the state reporting that the group's sometimes armed volunteers were photographing voters' license plates and accusing voters of dropping off phony ballots as "mules," a reference to a debunked conspiracy theory.

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The Arizona secretary of state's office has referred those complaints and others to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The suit filed by the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and Voto Latino asked a judge for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to prohibit the group from gathering within sight of drop boxes and recording or otherwise interacting with voters or anyone assisting voters.