Arizona officials raised alarms Saturday about voter safety after two men in tactical gear and armed with guns were discovered outside a Maricopa County poll drop box Friday night.

“We are deeply concerned about individuals exercising their constitutional right of vote and lawfully submitting their early ballots to a dropbox. Uninformed vigilantes operating outside Maricopa County drop boxes are not improving election integrity. In fact, they are leading to voter intimidation,” stated Bill Gates, Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, and Stephen Richer, Maricopa County Recorder in a joint statement.

While transparency and monitoring of our elections are important, voter intimidation can be illegal. If you want to get involved in improving election integrity, consider becoming a poll worker or official observer for your party. The statement said that voters should not be intimidated by body armor, as they are legally returning their ballots.

According to election officials, the two armed men left the Mesa ballot box drop box after Maricopa County law enforcement responded.

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This incident follows an Arizona secretary of states referral last week to the Justice Department, and the attorney general of the state. A voter trying to vote in Maricopa County was apparently “approached” and “followed by a group.”

Maricopa County was the center of electoral concerns during the 2020 presidential campaign. The Arizona state Senate hired the controversial audit firm Cyber Ninjas after Trump claimed that the election had been stolen. This confirmed the win of President Biden in Arizona.

In a Saturday statement, state election officials stated that no matter what you vote for in Arizona, you should feel secure doing so.

They added that they would do all in their power to protect voters and election workers and ensure fair and free elections.