Elections officials reported Monday that two men were set up outside an Arapahoe County building in Littleton filming people as they dropped off their ballots in the drop box, and one of the men had a gun in a holster at his side.
The men were standing within 100 feet of the ballot box in Littleton and some voters said they felt intimidated, according to Arapahoe County Elections Director Peg Perl. Police were called to respond to the incident, as first reported by CPR. The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office referred the report to the attorney general’s office for investigation.
The report comes at a time when voters across the nation have expressed concerns about voter intimidation tactics. Colorado elections officials have previously said they haven’t found any evidence of intimidation at polling sites, but they assured voters they take reports seriously. The attorney general did find evidence of voter intimidation at a Fort Morgan mobile home park in October.
Some of voters’ fears were heightened after the president called for his supporters to go watch the polls for potential fraud. The 2020 election sparked more interest from Coloradans in both parties to sign up to become poll watchers. However, in Colorado, there are statutesthat regulate who can be an official poll watcher. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said people can’t just show up and go into the polls without going through the state’s protocols, including training.
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