Arizona group accused of ballot stuffing asks for an apology
An Arizona advocacy group is asking for a public apology from a Republican chairman who accused the group of ballot stuffing. Last week, conservatives were…
Volunteers with Citizens for a Better Arizona visited the Arizona Republican Partys Phoenix office on Monday to ask for an apology, after the Maricopa County Republican Party chairman accused the group of “ballot stuffing.” Chad Heywood, executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, greeted the group. (VOXXI/Griselda Nevarez)
An Arizona advocacy group is asking for a public apology from a Republican chairman who accused the group of ballot stuffing.
Last week, conservatives were outraged over a surveillance video that shows a volunteer for Citizens for a Better Arizona delivering a box full of early ballots to a Maricopa County elections office a day before the Aug. 26 primary election. The advocacy group contends the volunteer, identified as Ben Marin, wasnt doing anything wrong.
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But A.J. LaFaro, chairman of the Maricopa County Republican Party, argued otherwise. He told The Arizona Daily Independent he obtained the surveillance video after he witnessed Marin stuffing hundreds of early ballots into the ballot box.
LaFaro described Marin as a vulgar, disrespectful, violent thug that has no respect for our laws. He added that he wouldve followed Marin to his car to get his tag number but he feared for his life.
I believe its inconceivable, unacceptable and should be illegal for groups to collect hundreds, if not thousands, of voters ballots and return them to the elections offices or polling locations LaFaro told The Arizona Daily Independent.
Maricopa County elections officials say Marin did nothing wrong and that there is no law that prevents an individual from dropping off an early ballot for a voter.
On Monday, dozens of volunteers with Citizens for a Better Arizona visited the Arizona Republican Partys office in Phoenix. They delivered a letter asking LaFaro to apologize for the comments he made about Marin and for maliciously spreading false information. The letter also calls on LaFaro to resign his potion as chairman of the Maricopa County Republican Party.
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Ramiro Luna of Citizens for a Better Arizona points to the letter written to the Maricopa County Republican Party chairman. (VOXXI/Griselda Nevarez)
Ramiro Luna, field director for Citizens for a Better Arizona, said in an interview with VOXXI that LaFaros comments and the surveillance video posted on YouTube have hurt his groups efforts to collect early ballots.
Luna said voters are now hesitant to give canvassers their early ballots. He added that on Friday, two canvassers were threatened to have the cops called on them.
Instead of being praised for our work, were being persecuted, Luna told VOXXI. And instead of being congratulated, our canvassers are being criminalized.
Chad Heywood, executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, greeted volunteers who showed up at the GOPs Phoenix office on Monday. He told them he would deliver the letter to LaFaro. When he was asked if the Republican Party agreed with LaFaros comments, Heywood said he didnt feel that it was his job to speak on the issue.
After the volunteers left the office, Heywood told reporters, Get out the vote efforts that include collecting ballots are definitely legal, and its something that is well within the rules.
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Heywood added that Republicans arent used to having canvassers turn in their early ballots. He said canvassers have tried to pick up early ballots but Republican voters have been hesitant to give them their ballots.
Heywood also pointed out that the GOP asked voters to bring their early ballots to an event last week where Mitt Romney rallied conservatives to turn out to vote for Doug Ducey, a Republican running for governor in Arizona. Only two early ballots were collected.
Its definitely not a winning strategy for us to go out and collect ballots, Heywood said.
