The Arizona Legislature was unable to get a bill passed this year clearly banning unmonitored absentee ballot drop boxes, so local activists are organizing schedules of volunteers to watch them, concerned after reports of unusual activity during the primary election this year. Existing law, A.R.S. 16-1005(E), prohibits absentee ballot drop boxes operated by entities other than the government, but legal disputes remain over how much the government is required to monitor them.
Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward told The Arizona Sun Times the party is working to facilitate addressing complaints from the absentee ballot drop box watchers that come in. “We are building the attorney network and the reporting structure so we can address problems as they happen,” she said. “We also have thousands of poll observers trained and we are working to make sure Maricopa County doesn’t break the law again in the general like they did in the primary.”
Keep an eye on ’em.