Coconino County Democratic Party Newsletter

Newsletter

Letter From The Chair

Greetings, Defenders of Democracy!
We’ve been busy this summer, talking with voters at fairs, festivals, and community events across our Congressional and Legislative Districts. Coconino County Democratic Party volunteers registered 60+ new voters, gathered over 400 signatures for the Ruben Gallego for Senator nominating petition, and shared the values of the Democratic Party with thousands of Arizonans. The Coco Dems Fourth of July firetruck float featuring signs painted by children highlighted our Party’s commitment to Equality, Justice, Liberty, and Democracy. Thanks to all who joined us at the Ice House for our post-parade ice cream social. It was a huge success and we even registered a newly eligible voter.

The Indigenous Rural Action Summit was a great opportunity to meet and network with organizers from across Arizona. I’m excited to share what we learned in Kayenta.

We have big plans for expanding our Latino and Youth Voter Committees to effectively reach those vital communities. The Development Committee and Committee for Research and Messaging will be fundraising to support a paid organizer and voter outreach campaigns, among other initiatives.

Our work is fueled by our allies and Coconino County Democrats like you, through generous contributions of your time, talent, and treasure. Thank you!
I hope to see you all at the annual Monsoon Picnic, at Fort Tuthill, 11:00-3:00 on August 12 (Navajo Ramada across from the Fairground Entrance). Come meet and hear from the candidates for County and City offices. Enjoy BBQ, potluck and games as we build our party for the work ahead. Bring the family and your friend.
Democracy is Hard Fun,
Blue Arizona 2024!
Laura Carter
Chair, Coconino County Democratic Party

Indigenous Rural Action Summit Recap

On Saturday July 22, the Coconino County Democrats attended the Indigenous Rural Action Summit at Monument Valley High School in Kayenta. We are proud to be partners in this powerful network created in collaboration with Save Our Schools Arizona, Indivisible Arizona, and Arizona Native Vote.
The summit provided attendees with the opportunity to meet and learn from stakeholders across Arizona. Participants gained skills in canvassing, registering, and getting out the vote across Indigenous communities. Several children of the organizers found our table and painted signs, every one of which was an exhortation to register and vote, with key information on how to do that!
Arizona is getting national attention in the lead up to the presidential election of ’24. Coconino County is going to play a critical role in re-electing Biden/Harris. The Indigenous vote was vital to Biden’s success in 2020. We are doing all we can to help the community exercise their franchise, because we know that electing more Democrats will result in better government for all.

Monsoon Picnic 8/12: You’re Invited, RSVP today

August’s monthly meeting will be the Monsoon Picnic. This is your last chance to RSVP!

Date Change – September Monthly Action Meeting : 9/16

Due to the State Committee Meeting being held on September 9th, we are now hosting our September Monthly Action Meeting on September 16th, 2023, at the Murdoch Community Center at 10am. This is a Business Meeting, if you are a PC, please plan to attend. Stay tuned for meeting agenda and speakers.
State Committee Members: if you require a proxy, you will need to complete and return this proxy form by Wednesday, September 5th.

Media Matters: Arizona Agenda – A Great Resource for Statewide Politics and News

We continue with our series of short pieces in this newsletter, sharing links to media sources that some of our leaders and volunteers find useful in filtering the noise.

Marilyn Weissman is PC with the Coconino County Democratic Party

I’m a subscriber and daily reader of the Arizona Agenda (https://arizonaagenda.substack.com). This publication is part of the Substack Universe. If you’re not familiar with Substack (https://substack.com/), it’s a website where independent writers and podcasters can publish and speak directly to their audience and get paid through their subscriptions. Substack takes a small cut to be their host. They also, in some cases, subsidize them for a year as they did the Arizona Agenda. As the media landscape in the country has changed, this economic model has enabled unique voices to find their audience and try to make a living outside of mainstream media.

The Arizona Agenda was started in August, 2021 by two Phoenix political journalists, Rachel Leingang and Hank Stephenson. They were seeking freedom from corporate journalism to write about the Arizona political scene without being worried about offending advertisers and their out of state corporate overlords. They recently launched a Tucson Agenda (https://tucsonagenda.substack.com/) in June that already has over 1000 subscribers. The Arizona Agenda currently has 9000 subscribers.
Here in Flagstaff we are facing our own media armageddon with the recent changes in cost and publication of our local newspaper into a primarily online advertising rag with AP stories. Local and state news is now rarely reported. I, myself, don’t subscribe to the Arizona Republic and was thrilled to find that the Arizona Agenda and the state political news I craved could show up in my email box every weekday morning for less than my subscription to the Arizona Daily Sun.

Some recent stories covered by the Arizona Agenda include the battle between School Superintendent Tom Horne and Attorney General Kris Mayes over Arizona’s “ English-only” education law, alerts and links to National articles about Katie Hobbs’ efforts to shut down the Saudis use of scarce Arizona groundwater to grow alfalfa for their cows in the Middle East, and updates on the repercussions of frivolous lawsuits about the 2022 election filed by Kari Lake and Mark Finchem.

By subscribing you can stay up to date on all the Arizona political (continue reading here…)

Registering Future Voters on College & High School Campuses

Research has shown that 80% of registered young voters cast their ballot.
Let’s go get those votes for Democrats in 2024!

As school starts up again next month, we will be registering voters in our high schools, at Coconino Community College and at Northern Arizona University. We will be on CCC’s campus every Tuesday starting August 29 from 11AM-2PM. If you are interested in signing-up for a shift, do so via this link and we will reach out with additional information. Coco Dems are excited to participate in the Civic Center Ready to Vote Coalition with Young Arizona Democrats and CEBV Youth organizers to help youth leaders organize high school voter registration drives. Local high school activists will be trained and equipped to engage their peers in exercising their democratic franchise. If you are, or know of any, civic minded high school students who might be interested in volunteering, please contact us.

The Arizona Student Association is hosting a vote registration drive on NAU’s campus for Welcome Week (August 24-31). This is a great time to get new students to register and update their registration. Click here to register NAU voters.
“There is no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter” – Barak Obama

Upcoming Community Service Opportunities

Reaching out and serving those in our community is a foundational principle of the Democratic Party. The Coconino County Democratic Party has volunteered to serve meals at the Flagstaff Family Food Center on the first Thursday of each month. We need six to eight people for each 3:00-6:00 pm shift, and you can sign up HERE. We will contact you prior to your shift to go over policies and have you sign a waiver. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!

Flagstaff Community Market, The Coconino County Fair, Tuba City Outdoor Market & more

The Coconino County Democrats are at the Flagstaff Community Farmer’s Market every Sunday, from 8:00 am until noon. Stop by and visit us or sign up to join the team. We are registering new voters, getting candidate nomination petitions signed, and talking about Democratic Party values. It’s a great way to meet your community and help us swing Arizona blue in 2024! Sign up for a shift here.

Join us in Tuba City for the weekly Outdoor Market. Email Deydrek Scott for more information. We’ll be back at the Coconino County Fair September 1-4, 2023.

Click here to volunteer for a shift. The Cornucopia Fall Festival is back this year!

We’re seeking volunteers to help us manage our booth. Sign up for a shift here.