AZ Citizens Clean Elections Commission moves to stop ballot box ‘vigilantes’ from using similar name

PHOENIX– Arizona’s Citizens Clean Elections Commission is asking the state for legal help after a group monitoring ballot drop boxes began using a similar name.

Over the past week, individuals have been monitoring two ballot drop box locations in Maricopa County, which has led to complaints of voter intimidation being filed.

Individuals in the groups have told reporters they’re with Clean Elections USA, an organization that supports claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Tom Collins, CCEC executive director, asked the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for outside council “so that we can find a way to address this and find a way, with as much force as we can, to tell this group that they should not and cannot use the name ‘Clean Elections’ in Arizona, and especially for this kind of purpose.”

Collins added the use of the name could lead to confusion among voters and lead to distrust towards the commission’s voter guide.

“Folks interfering with people’s voting using the Clean Elections name betrays the agreement the voters have made with the state of Arizona to bring non-partisan voter information to voters,” Collins said.

Arizona’s Citizens Clean Elections Commission was created by the voters to ensure integrity in elections.

Collins added while the monitoring of ballot drop boxes is not illegal, it isn’t helping.

“The purpose of monitoring these boxes in this way is essentially what folks look at as a form of voter intimidation,” Collins said.

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