Some of the anxiety around the election has been fueled by the debunked documentary “2000 Mules,” which claimed a virtual army of people fraudulently stuffed ballot drop boxes with fake presidential ballots in Georgia and elsewhere. The call to members of his audience to volunteer represents “a sort of hostile attitude towards voting, rather than one that is meant to sort of facilitate the smooth process of democracy,” Peltz said. Bannon has continued circulating conspiracy theories about the last election in the runup to the midterms, she said. While volunteering to be a poll watcher is a traditional civic activity for Republicans and Democrats alike, Madeline Peltz of the left-wing watchdog group Media Matters for America said the context of the callout matters. “We want Republicans to have steely resolve when they get in the room, to not back down,” he said. He urged challenges to residency and signature verification on individual ballots. “This is about settling this,” Bannon said, suggesting, without evidence, that votes might be cast by noncitizens and that other democratic safeguards were not in place. In an interview on Bannon’s show, Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell named DeKalb County as a location where volunteers were needed. This month, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who spearheaded the “Stop the Steal” movement after the 2020 presidential election, issued a call to the listeners of his internet talk show to volunteer as poll workers and poll watchers during the midterms. “As it persists, it starts to get a hold and people begin accepting it as truth.” Explore Early voting in metro Atlanta: Where and when can I vote? ‘A hostile attitude’ A lot of it is rooted in conspiracy theories, so that does concern me,” said Dele Lowman Smith, chairwoman for the DeKalb County elections board. “We have gotten a lot of folks showing up to make public comments and peppering us with emails. Local election officials have already seen the impact disinformation is having. “We want to protect our election workers because they’re the true heroes of democracy.” We’re placing a premium on election security,” Raffensperger said. “We want to ensure that we keep polling places safe, and I think this shows our concern. Raffensperger’s office also set up a text message line for poll workers to report problems by sending a five-digit number that relays information to county and state election officials working closely with law enforcement to respond. Explore Complete coverage of the 2022 elections Only then can county election officials review the challenge and determine if probable cause exists to investigate further, the bulletin states. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office issued guidance this month to county election officials clarifying that a voter’s eligibility cannot be challenged at the polls and must be in writing. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” Buchanan said. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, appointed one of his assistants to spearhead the handling of complaints regarding the election. 12, the FBI issued a warning that it would prioritize investigations into threats made against election workers. State and federal officials are preparing to respond to tactics aimed at election workers and voters. Instead, the growing concern has been individuals spurred to action by online far-right influencers warning a grand conspiracy is afoot by Democrats to steal the election, he said.Įxplore How many Georgians have voted already? Updated Early Voting Tracker from the AJC Popp said the largest source of concern does not come from extremist groups like the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers or fringe political ideologies like neo-Nazism.
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