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An extensive collection of internal messages and documents from the militia group American Patriots Three Percent (AP3) has emerged, revealing the organization’s coordination with election denial factions to monitor ballot boxes through paramilitary means during the 2022 midterm elections.
This sensitive information was disclosed to Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets), a nonprofit dedicated to publishing leaked and hacked documents for public interest. The individual responsible for these leaks claims to have infiltrated the militia and became increasingly alarmed by their activities, prompting them to share this information ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
Officials overseeing elections and federal matters have already expressed serious concerns about the potential for voter intimidation in the upcoming November elections, particularly in light of the rise of politically violent rhetoric and persistent election denialism. Some right-wing groups have made plans to surveil ballot boxes remotely using AI-powered cameras. Last month, a bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security cautioned that domestic extremist groups might attempt to disrupt election infrastructure, including ballot drop boxes.
Devin Burghart, the president and executive director of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, has stated that the plans leaked by AP3 during the 2022 midterms serve as a warning for the upcoming elections. “Absurd conspiracy theories about election fraud that fuel armed militia surveillance of ballot drop boxes represent a perilous form of voter intimidation,” Burghart told WIRED. “The growth of election denialism, heightened militia activity, and increased coordination among these groups raises significant alarm as we approach November. Coupled with voter suppression organizations like True the Vote and some GOP elected officials targeting drop boxes for vigilantism, this situation is concerning.”
The leaked communications from 2022 illustrate how AP3 and other militia groups bolstered ballot box monitoring efforts led by “The People’s Movement,” which also organized the 2021 anti-vaccine convoy protest, as well as Clean Elections USA, an organization linked to the creators of the film 2000 Mules, which falsely alleged widespread voter fraud. In the discussions, Carolyn Smith, leader of the People’s Movement, claims an honorary membership in AP3.
AP3 is led by Scot Seddon, a former Army Reservist, resident of Long Island, and male model, according to a ProPublica profile published in August. This profile relied on the same anonymous infiltrator who provided DDoSecrets with AP3’s internal messages, highlighting that AP3 evaded scrutiny after the January 6 events partly because Seddon, despite preparing his members to go to D.C., strategically chose not to deploy them. Although some members attended the rally, they were instructed to avoid displaying any AP3 insignia. The leaked messages indicate that Seddon also directed state leaders to take part in the surveillance operation.
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