When WIRED asked Mack how many sheriffs were currently members of the CSPOA, he said 300 sheriffs could be described as “really solid.” He would not reveal how many paid members the group has.
While Mack and the CSPOA are the most prominent part of the Constitutional Sheriff movement, there are many other sheriffs who espouse the same beliefs. A 2022 survey carried out by the Marshall Project found that about 50 percent of sheriffs surveyed agreed with the sheriff’s constitutional mantra that “their own authority, within their counties, supersedes that of the state or federal government.”
Many sheriffs have also avoided publicly aligning themselves with Mack, something the former sheriff readily admits. And yet, Trumpworld, the election denial movement, and some of the far-right’s most prominent influencers are now seeking to partner with sheriffs to influence the outcome of the US election.
In September, the election-denying group True the Vote told its followers it was working with sheriffs to monitor mailboxes. While Mack told WIRED that he has not spoken to True the Vote about this specific plan, he confirmed that CSPOA is still actively working with True the Vote, although he declined to say in what capacity. Bushman also declined to give details of their collaboration, but said, “It’s more than just supporting what they’re doing.”
In multiple conversations with Mack over the past six months, he repeatedly stated that the CSPOA only advocates nonviolent action in an effort to combat the alleged (and unproven) widespread voter fraud that is now the group’s driving force.
But Mack also maintains deep ties to Stewart Rhodes and the Oath Keepers and meets publicly with figures like Raiklin, who in August also posted a sinister threat in X referencing the recent assassination attempt against Trump: “In a duel, each side has an opportunity. . They were lost 36 days ago. “Now it is (our) turn.”
Earlier this month, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned that “election-related complaints” could motivate domestic extremists to engage in violence around the election.
In a recent phone conversation, Mack’s tone sounded more deflated than antagonistic; He admitted he was “frustrated” that more sheriffs were not taking a more active role in policing elections, a practice that has led to voters felt intimidated in the past.
“President Biden and his administration have just caused so much extra work for sheriffs that it’s really hard to get them to focus on the election,” Mack says. Every sheriff in this country should verify the security and integrity of voting in their county. Each one of them”.
Dar Leaf, for his part, remains focused. As he prepares to monitor an election while continuing to investigate the last one, he is clear where the threat comes from: immigrants and Democrats. He claims that the United States has received “garbage from other countries” and must act as a result.
“Any police officer who thinks that machine is bad or that something criminal is going on,” Leaf says, “we have a duty to confiscate it.”
