The election integrity issue is heating up again as we roll toward the midterm elections in November.

Republicans and millions of voters remain concerned that our system isn’t 100% reliable, and we’ve heard multiple reports of individuals tampering with voting systems. These stories add more fuel to the fire.

Now, one state is upping the ante — and this includes offering a “bounty” of up to $50,000.

Arizona was one of those states that came under heavy scrutiny during the 2020 presidential election. While Joe Biden ultimately won the state, many say there’s evidence of wrongdoing in terms of vote counting.

Democrats call this nothing more than conspiracy theory, and right now that matter is closed in the political sphere.

However, state Republicans still plan to fight against examples of voter fraud. For instance, “vote-buying” is a major cause for concern, and the GOP aims to defeat the practice before it begins.

From NTD:

The Republican Party of Arizona (RPAZ) will offer up to two $50,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone suspected of ‘vote-buying’ in the statewide primary on Aug. 2.

The RPAZ said in a letter dated July 20 that “there is historical precedent of vote-buying fraud” and this led to “secret ballot laws.”

The letter adds that the move toward mass mail-in voting “completely undoes” ballot reform, because mail-in ballots aren’t secret: “they can easily show it to anyone” the GOP stated in the letter.

Basically, they say vote-buying occurs when someone finishes a mail-in ballot in front of a vote-buyer. If the voter than gives the buyer the completed ballot, that qualifies as vote-buying according to the party.

The GOP further says this buying process can include money, goods, or services given in exchange for votes.

Republicans allege that this constitutes a “systemic lack of political integrity that weakens the trust citizens have in their elected representatives,” and enhances the possibility of corruption.

So now, the party wants evidence of election law violations in Arizona. If that information leads to a conviction before Dec. 31, 2022, that could result in a reward of up to $50K.

Said Rep. Mark Finchem:

I fully support the move to offer a reward for the criminal act of buying ballots.

That behavior is illegal under Arizona Revise Statutes and should be punished.

Finchem added that this is similar to a crime tip line, and gives the people a chance to secure the election process.

So far, the state has already prosecuted at least nine cases of voter fraud in the past few years. These cases have involved illegal ballot collection, ballot harvesting, and other election-related charges.

This year in Texas, one woman faced 26 counts of voting and election fraud, and many Americans worry that this behavior could continue during important future elections.

Key Takeaways:

• Arizona Republicans are offering a “bounty” for information leading to the conviction of those involved with “vote-buying.”
• The GOP says there is “historical precedent of vote-buying fraud,” and Rep. Mark Finchem said he supports the offer of a reward for the “criminal act of buying ballots.”
• Election integrity is a primary concern for many Americans.

Source: NTD