By Jen Fifield | Votebeat
Arizona’s rules aimed at preventing specific types of voter intimidation and harassment near polling places and drop boxes are too broad and violate free speech rights, a Maricopa County judge ruled.
The rules, some of which have been in place for years, prohibit anyone from following, photographing, videotaping, or yelling at voters outside drop boxes or polling places, along with other activities that Secretary of State Adrian Fontes had declared were intimidating. Tuesday’s injunction from Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Ryan-Touhill temporarily prohibits Arizona officials from enforcing the rules, until the court can issue a final ruling in the matter.
The ruling comes just two months before early voting begins for the presidential election, and as Republican groups pledge to watch over the polls. The Republican National Committee, for example, launched a “Protect the Vote” tour in June to recruit poll watchers, poll workers, and lawyers to “ensure it is easy to vote and hard to cheat.”
