Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1483500
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 NOVEMBER 2022 NEWS Fear and loathing... at the U.S. Midterms Arizona: where Trump's 'militia' takes to the streets to monitor voters and ballot drop-boxes O ur hotel is in Scottsdale, Arizona, in what I can only describe is a car village. There's not much pavement, and the road crossings operate in such a way that the pedestri- an lights go off while adjacent cars can freely drive into you. There's tons of parking. You can tell this area is designed for people passing by on road trips or extended commutes. I'm not even sure there's a public transport route connecting this area to Downtown Phoenix. I feel very at home here. America is a caricature of it- self. The school buses are just as yellow as they appear to be in the films and television shows. People really do stand outside by the road corner with large arrow signs advertising a near- by restaurant or showroom. And the food portions are just as big as you'd think they are. On Wednesday morning we ate from a generous buffet break- fast: classic American staples like syrup-covered waffles and Lucky Charms cereal. Then we boarded a comfortable bus and spent around 30 minutes driving to a hotel, right near the Phoenix Suns Arena, to meet academics and activists and learn more about the mid- terms. Everyone we spoke to throughout the day said that these elections are "a critical point for American democra- cy". Pinny Sheoran, President of the League of Women Vot- ers, gave a lengthy overview on election issues like voter intim- idation. Sheron says efforts to disrupt voters have escalated tremendously in Arizona since 2020 after Joe Biden beat Don- ald Trump in the presidential elections. In fact, it had been the first time in decades that Arizona's electoral vote was won by the Democratic Party. The scenes are unlike any- thing witnessed in Malta. She- oron said people waiting in line to vote at a polling station would be asked to show their voter ID by people unauthor- ised to do so. In other cases, people would knock on voters' doors to find out who they vot- ed for. "We believe elections and poll locations need to be venues where citizens can cast their vote in peace and confi- dence," Sheoran said. Around 80% of voters in Arizona re- quest a mail-in ballot, which allows citizens to post their ballot, instead of showing up at a venue to submit their vote. But here even people in mi- litia gear are seen intimidat- ing voters near a drop box for mail-in ballots in Arizona – people have been seen wearing tactical gear and allegedly car- rying weapons whilst watching over the box, nothing short of voter intimidation in terms of Arizona law, even in the land where the right to bear arms is sacrosanct. The League of Women Voters has now requested a tempo- rary restraining order on these armed groups, said to be mem- bers of 'Clean Elections USA', and ordered by a federal judge to stay at least 250 feet away from drop-box locations, as well as being barred from film- ing or following anyone within a 23-metre distance of a box. Clean Elections USA describes itself as a "grassroots organisa- tion committed to election in- tegrity". This group claims that NICOLE MEILAK Scottsdale Arizona Here even people in militia gear are seen intimidating voters near a drop box for mail-in ballots in Arizona – people have been seen wearing tactical gear and allegedly carrying weapons whilst watching over the box, nothing short of voter intimidation in terms of Arizona law, even in the land where the right to bear arms is sacrosanct. Scenes unlike anything witnessed in Malta. People waiting in line to vote at a polling station could be asked to show their voter ID by people unauthorised to do so. In other cases, people would knock on voters' doors to find out who they voted for