News from the Coconino County Democratic Party
May 15, 2020
The 2020 Campaign
This is what our campaign looked like in January. Interns, volunteers, and a great candidate (Felicia French for AZ Senate) going door-to-door in Kachina Village — one of the places where we most need to turn out Democrats in November. Oh, how things can change in just a few months! We won’t be seeing this kind of campaigning again in 2020 due to the pandemic.
We and the campaigns we work with have spent that last two months envisioning what a safe campaign looks like. Likewise, our election officials — County Recorder Patty Hansen and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs — have been making changes to make voting safe for the August 4 primary and the November 3 General Election. “Thank you” to both of them for sharing their plans and the challenges they face on one of our recent COVID Advocacy calls.
Under the fantastic leadership of County Chair Shannah Redmon, our interns made a quick shift from canvassing to phone banking, making nearly 2000 calls for the Mission for Arizona (Mark Kelly’s campaign), PC recruitment, and the LD-6 campaigns since they were pulled away from door-to-door canvassing. Working with the campaign staff for Mission for Arizona, LD-6 candidates, and our Regional Precinct Leaders, we have been redirecting the efforts of precinct committee persons and volunteers to “no contact voter contact,” namely, phone-banking. This is a new experience for many and not as much fun as the work those people in the photo were having going out together on a sunny day, but with the right support and training, our phone bankers are reporting back that this is a fulfilling experience too. Many of the people we call are stuck at home, some have been hit hard by the pandemic, and most are very happy to talk with someone about the different kind of future our candidates offer.
We are meeting on Zoom instead of in-person and connecting with voters in ways other than at their doors. We have canceled participation in all festivals for May-August because gathering in large crowds is dangerous — this means we will not participate in the Flagstaff Independence Day Parade if it proceeds.
We will be devoting resources to encourage people to vote by mail in accordance with Secretary of State Hobbs’ “Mail-Plus Election” promotion. The “plus” recognizes that some voters need assistance and therefore some polling places are required. Our County Elections Office has set up a special webform so that voters who do not want to be permanently registered to vote by mail can still get their ballots for the 2020 Primary and General Elections by mail. Click on this image (also found on our website), to get to that form and share it with your (Democratic) friends!
We’re still going to win this in November if we keep working hard. We plan to!
Eleanor Roosevelt and Chair Awards
Because we canceled the 20th Annual Roosevelt Kennedy Dinner, the annual Eleanor Roosevelt Award and a Chair Award were presented at our virtual Coconino Democratic Action Meeting on May 9. The Eleanor Roosevelt Award went to Helene Babbitt and the Chair Award to Marisa Riggs-Ort. Read all about it!
State and National Meetings Go Virtual
The Arizona Democratic Party Meeting that was scheduled for May 18 has been moved to May 30 and will be virtual. Any Democrat is welcome to attend. The Democratic National Convention, which was moved from July to August, will now be a virtual event. DNC staff are working on how that will happen; meanwhile, some states (including Arizona) are still electing delegates. One of our CD-1 Delegates for Biden is Flagstaff resident Stacy Pinkston. The big spectacles we’re used to seeing on TV will certainly have a new look.
As for the ADP Meeting on May 30, any Democrat may register to attend from 10 am to noon. Please note that unless you are one of our official Coconino County State Committee Members, you are not eligible to vote.
To attend the ADP State Committee Meeting, click the following link to RSVP:
When: Saturday, May 30th, 2020
What time: 10:00am to 12:00pm
How: We will be using GoToWebinar. Participants may also join by phone.
Everyone who submits an RSVP to attend the event will later receive an invite to access GoToWebinar and Sign-in details.
The Schedule will be available on the ADP website on 5/20/2020
Helpful ADP Resources:
- ADP Platform – Click Here
- ADP Bylaws – Click Here
- Amending Bylaws – Click Here
- ADP Resolutions Process – Click Here – Submission deadline: 30 Days Prior to Designated Meeting Date
- Submitting a Resolution – Click Here
- Meeting Minutes from – January 2020 Meeting
- Resolutions Page – Click Here
QUESTIONS? Email alexandrapiacenza@gmail.com for additional information.
Support Our LD-6 Candidates and Have Some Fun on Monday!
Prepare your brains, as America’s premier live quizmaster, Noah Tarnow, tickles your neurons with a fully produced team-based quiz show on Arizona politics, state history, celebrities, sports, and more! BQT features unique video and audio puzzles, Smart-Ass Points, the Buzzertastic Finale, and the best “figureoutable” trivia questions anywhere. More details.
Last Chance to Be a PC for 2020-2022
If you want to be an Elected Precinct Committee Person, giving you important privileges in voting for our County Party leaders and giving the County Party greater representation at the state level, the deadline is upon you. Call your Regional Captain or our Office Manager on to get your paperwork in by May 20.
COVID-19 Action and Advocacy
On April 1st we held our first Zoom Meeting for PCs/Volunteers to discuss how we as a party could respond to the COVID-19 emergency. We heard from Mayor Coral Evans and Keith Brekus, representing Congressman O’Halleran’s office. We made our next meeting, on April 6, open to the public and we invited all members of the County Board of Supervisors to join us. One did – Art Babbott. In subsequent weeks we heard from Supervisor Liz Archuletta and Matt Ryan. In the April 6 meeting, we asked the County for greater transparency in reporting and deliberations related to the COVID crisis. Whether due to our efforts or not, we were pleased that over the course of April, the county began to report daily data and held a Special Meeting to hear from epidemiologists and public health officials. We learned much from this organizing effort and directed our advocacy accordingly.
In total, we held six “COVID Action and Advocacy,” Zoom meetings in April and the first week in May, five of which were open to the public. At times, the number of participants reached 80. A committee undertook the job of finding the best ways Democrats could – if they were able — donate their stimulus payments to help those in distress due to the crisis. We published suggestions on April 13 and updated it in the subsequent weeks. Our legislative committee undertook the job of analyzing actions the legislature could have taken in response to the crisis, we heard from elected officials about some of those bills, and we lobbied for them. Unfortunately, the legislature took no action. We investigated the broken unemployment claims system and were able to share information with some people who needed help. We listened to doctors at the Tuba City Regional Health Center and Flagstaff Medical Center and directed donations of personal protective equipment to the places that made the most sense for our local needs. A representative of the County Health Department joined us on one call.
A special shoutout to other elected officials who joined us: State Senator Jamescita Peshlakai, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, County Treasurer Sarah Benatar, Country Recorder Patty Hansen, and City Council Member Austin Aslan. House Minority Leader Charlene Fernandez joined our May 9 Coconino County Action Meeting. We appreciate the information you shared and the advice you gave.
On April 30, we wrote a Letter to all Arizona Legislators, calling on them to get to work and do their jobs to protect Arizonans. (As of now, the legislature remains in limbo — the Senate has adjourned, the House has refused to adjourn but has not been holding sessions.) We have decided to suspend our weekly calls for the time being but we will continue to monitor events related to the pandemic and will advocate consistent with Democratic values.
To review the newsletters and calls to action we’ve produced related to COVID, use the search function on our website and search for “COVID.”
In Case You Missed This News
Senate Candidate Felicia French To Serve as Public Health Nurse in Tuba City
Mayor Coral Evans’ Response to Ducey’s Latest Executive Order
Payson Roundup Features Senate Candidate Felicia French
Supreme Court Rejects Bid for Online Petition Signatures
Coconino County Elections Urges Voters to Request Early Ballots
Corporation Commission Race Narrows as Republicans Fail to Survive Signature Challenges
Even the GOP Starts to See the Root of the Problem
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