Armed vigilantes wearing tactical gear were captured by security cameras on Oct. 21, 2022, outside Maricopa County’s drop box in Mesa. Photo via Maricopa County
Leaked chats from the American Patriots Three Percent militia, also known as AP3 or APIII, reveal how the group reacted to media reports on their efforts to monitor ballot drop boxes in Arizona and how they organized their efforts.
In 2022, extremist groups incited by lies about election fraud and spurred on by conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza began “operations” to watch ballot drop boxes throughout the country.
The Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers, the Yavapai County-based Lions of Liberty and Clean Elections USA, which is run by QAnon-linked Melody Jennings, were the focus of a lawsuit during the 2022 midterm elections aimed at preventing them from surveilling dropboxes, with critics calling it voter intimidation.
Photos of two members of the AP3 militia in full combat-style gear made international headlines and led to fears among voter advocate groups that these tactics would cause voters to fear heading to the polls.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
The leaked Telegram chats, first reported by Unicorn Riot, show that the leaders of AP3 were upset when the photos were published. Telegram is an encrypted messaging application based in Russia that has become a major platform for far-right extremists.
“We had a little incident today or last night in Arizona,” AP3 National Commander Scot Seddon says in a video shared to the chat. “One of our members who has done border ops has done something quite foolish. He went to monitor some of the polling ballot boxes, armed in full kit.”
“We were hoping that people would use their heads and do things in a more tasteful manner,” Seddon said.
The man in the picture ended up being a part of the North Carolina Chapter of AP3 who left the group voluntarily to “protect” them, according to a video posted in the chat by the head of AP3’s North Carolina chapter.
The leaked chats also reveal more information about where the group has been operating in Arizona, as well as internal documents that show they did not have a full understanding of Arizona laws regarding dropboxes. Additionally, the chats give insight into how conspiracy theories fueled their thinking.
“All the police & sheriff stations look like the (sic) have drop boxes,” one user, confirmed by the Arizona Mirror to live in Arizona, said in the chat. “With all the fraud DeShuza (sic) showed us, I am going to ask if they have cameras if they don’t already.”
Prior to the 2022 midterm election, conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza promoted his film “2000 Mules,” which claimed that “ballot mules” were dropping off fraudulent ballots at drop boxes across the country. The film has been widely discredited and there has been no evidence to substantiate such claims.
Drop boxes have become a focus for unsubstantiated claims of fraud from Republicans. The film’s makers have refused to provide evidence backing up their claims, and former Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has said both the FBI and the IRS should investigate nonprofit group True the Vote, who helped make the film, for alleged fraud related to the claims.
Instructions for ballot watchers included directions to “Stop the Mules,” which they claimed are “well trained and financed” and part of a “global network.”
The instructions given to those in the chat told watchers they could stage 12 feet from a dropbox, however, the law says they must be 75 feet away and a federal judge ruled in 2022 that the groups behind such efforts needed to observe from at least 250 feet.
The person from Arizona later told the chat he was watching dropboxes in Yuma. The same user was found by the Mirror to have posted violent and racist messages on the far-right social media platform Gab, whose owner is a known antisemite.
“Can’t be closer than 12 (feet),” the user wrote when an article about the lawsuit against drop box watchers was shared with the chat.
That individual identified by the Mirror also shared a file listing dropbox locations throughout the state and claimed that the AP3 member whose photograph was shared widely was a “fed,” or federal agent.
“You are probably correct about them being feds,” the user wrote. “Us patriots know better than to do that unless they really are dumb asses.”
However he was quickly rebuffed by another Arizona member.
“They’re not, I’m in constant contact with both individuals, they’re good people,” the user wrote.
Users in a chat labeled “Tailgate Parties” appear to be from all across the state, with one sharing a picture of the courthouse in Prescott, another asking about locations in Pinal County, one looking for members in Tucson and another asking about the West Valley.
Some of the drop box watchers in 2022 organized tailgate parties around their monitoring plans.
The group also talked about an interaction with ABC15’s Garrett Archer, in which they called his reporting “fake news” and mentioned that their presence near a drop box seemed to spur one person not to drop off their ballot.
“While we were there, a car came by, saw us, drove by the box and kept on going,” the user wrote. “And then Garrett freaking Archer…came by and chatted us up…asked our names, what we were doing there, were we a part of the clean elections group (no), and before he left, wanted to get our photo..um…no thank you.”
The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office referred five cases in 2022 to federal authorities to investigate for voter intimidation.
One voter, whose name was redacted from a report to the Department of Justice, said they were harassed by a group of people wearing camouflage who took photos of them when they were dropping off their ballot at the drop box at Maricopa County’s election center near downtown Phoenix.
The people in camouflage wouldn’t give their names or what group they represented when the voter asked.
The Telegram chat leak comes from a person who has been infiltrating the group for two years, and contains a note detailing their concerns regarding groups like AP3. The person behind the leak has asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation but has given their insights in a letter posted along with the leak.
The person has been providing information about the group to ProPublica, and has said they believe group members may cause “violence at ballot boxes, polling places, and other election sites in the coming weeks.”
“Most of the so-called lone wolves who participated in the 2022 ballot box watching in Arizona were not ‘lone’ at all-far from it,” the person wrote in the letter accompanying the leak. “In fact, they were part of highly organized groups who intended to influence the election through intimidation.”
The informant highlighted the schedules and “rules of engagement” that the group created and are contained in the leaks and revealed that many of the group members were carrying concealed firearms at the time.
Instructions shared with members of the AP3 group chat on how to monitor dropboxes in Arizona.
“Beyond revealing just how big an operation the ballot box watching is, and who is behind it, these Telegram channels also make it very clear that 2022 was only a warm up,” the leaker wrote. “These groups have taken from the lessons learned in 2022 and I believe they are intending to conduct vigilante operations during this election as well.”
The leak also shows how the group intended to target independent journalist Emma Best, who has published leaked information related to far-right extremism. Members of the chat spoke about finding Best’s address and made references to cutting her up “into itty bitty” pieces with an “axe.”
The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office would not go into detail about how it intends to ensure voters are not intimidated by future efforts of the group.
“Without getting into the specifics of our security posture, the Arizona Department of State has provided resources and training to counties and law enforcement across the state through our (tabletop exercise) events that are designed to help county authorities recognize and make sound decisions about securing voting locations and protecting voters,” Arizona Secretary of State Communications Director Aaron Thacker said in a statement to the Mirror. “Ultimately, it will be the decision makers on the ground who will have to make calls based on present threats, and we know they are capable of doing what is best for Arizona voters.”
The Maricopa County Elections Department said they are concerned by some of the activities discussed in the chats and said that staging 12 feet away could be “intimidating for a voter.”
“It is our hope that all involved in the election process will be mindful of the rights of others. Based on the Election Procedures Manual, we are concerned about some of the activities that are described in the Ballot Box Integrity Program,” Jennnifer Liewer, deputy elections director for the Maricopa County said in a written statement to the Mirror. “If the group is planning to stage 12 feet away from the drop box and take photos of voters dropping off their ballots, this could be intimidating for a voter. We have directed City Clerks to call our command center if they observe any issues.”
Maricopa County also reiterated that the limit for those observing drop boxes is 75 feet, per the state’s election procedure manual.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.