In Colorado, a pro-Trump QAnon group is sending gunmen to voters’ homes.
They impersonate government officials by wearing fake badges and knock on doors “in areas with large numbers of voters of color, questioning people about how they voted and taking photographs of their homes,” Salon says (here). Sometimes, they accuse people of voting fraud.
But the group, which calls itself “the U.S. Election Integrity Plan,” has no official status or legal authority, and is led by people associated with Mike Lindell, a notorious promoter of false election conspiracies, and Steve Bannon, another member of Trump’s inner circle.
They’re being sued by the NAACP, League of Women Voters, and Mi Familia Vota, who filed a complaint in federal court on March 9, 2022 (read it here) accusing the group and its operatives of illegal voter intimidation and violating the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. (Read story here and here.)
The Colorado Republican Party, which isn’t named in the lawsuit, appears to be involved in a supporting role. A Colorado news website says (here) the group “has partnered with the Colorado GOP on local events” and a former campaign manager for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has organized meetings for them.
The group has targeted voters in Mesa County, where a pro-Trump county clerk who collaborated with Lindell in promoting election conspiracies has been indicted for election crimes and arrested for assaulting a police officer (see article here).
Voters contacted by these people have no obligation to answer the door, speak to them, or answer their questions. They should slam the door in their faces, and if they don’t leave, call the police.
Photo: These people do not work for the election department