Letter from the Chair
Dear Defenders of Democracy, The Monsoon Picnic was a huge success, with an overflow crowd of 160…the largest ever! The tables were laden with potluck and petitions, and the thunder arrived right on cue with fiery speeches from our candidates for office. What a thrill to see you all there, and to know so many people are excited about working to elect more Democrats.We have lots of exciting plans to get out the vote in Coconino County, building our capacity to reach new voters and expand our reach into the Youth, Latino, and Indigenous communities.
Join the movement to swing Arizona blue in 2024 and beyond. There’s a place for you in the Coconino County Democratic Party that suits your style: phone-banking, canvassing, petitions, office work, fairs, festivals, events, committees, leadership, labor, organizing, and giving. Democracy is hard fun…join us and experience the joy of working with a team to make a difference for ourselves and future generations.There are several opportunities for CCDems to get involved now! Sign up for a shift at the Coconino County Fair, September 1-4, and talk to voters from across the state. The petitions from Arizona for Abortion Access will be coming out soon: scroll down to read more and sign up for notifications on their release. Keep reading for information on how you can help with our drive to register voters at NAU, CCC, and local High Schools this Fall. Learn about the ESG AZ Coalition with Coconino County Treasurer Sarah Benatar & others at their monthly meeting. As always, you can sign up to staff our booth at the Flagstaff Community Farmer’s Market…or stop by to say hello on Sunday mornings!
Thank you all, for your tremendous support of the Coconino County Democratic Party. We look forward to electing local, statewide and national candidates in 2024, knowing that we did it together.Blue AZ 2024!
Together,
Laura Carter, Coconino County Democratic Party Chair
Thank you to our wonderful community for helping make the 2023 Monsoon Picnic so successful. What a fantastic event!* We would like to correct a misstatement made at the Monsoon Picnic. County Recorder Patty Hansen sent a follow up and clarification to remarks made during the candidate speeches. The Coconino County Board of Supervisors did not create a Republican District.
At the 2016 General Election the party breakdown for BOS District 3 was:
Democrat – 5,652
Republican – 5,758
Libertarian – 196
Green – 59
Other – 6,26
1In 2020 the district was more Democratic:
Democrat – 6,935
Republican – 6,759
Libertarian – 231
Other – 6,216
The numbers tend to fluctuate between Democrat and Republican majority. As you can see, the unaffiliated (other) has consistently been a substantial block of voters.
District 3 was a competitive district before re-districting and remains a competitive district after re-districting. The largest percentage of voters remains the block of registered Independents.
ICYMI: AZ Voters Will Decide if Abortion Will Be on the 2024 ballot
Last Tuesday, Arizona for Abortion Access announced their bid to make abortion a constitutional right (read the Washington Post article here). In recent polling, over 60% of Arizonans believe that access to abortion should be legal. It will now be up to us to ensure that this measure not only makes it to the ballot, but is passed when we all head to the polls in 2024. Last week, we saw how voters in Ohio showed up when reproductive rights were on the line. We have the power to enshrine the access to reproductive healthcare for future generations. Now we need continue to work together in order to ensure that pro-choice & pro-democracy voters have their voices heard. The implications of this measure making it on the ballot stretch beyond abortion access and will help us in our effort to get folks to vote for Democrats in key down ballot races in 2024.
The measure will require 384,000 signatures from registered voters by next July in order to be on the 2024 ballot. The state-wide goal is to collect over 500,000 signatures. We know the power of grassroots organizing and that this goal is not only obtainable, but surpassable.
Once we have the petitions, we will be reaching out to YOU to help gather signatures. Please fill out this form, and we will contact you as soon the petitions are available for circulation. In anticipation of the amount of interest & support that we know this initiative is going to have, we are seeking notaries in our community. If you are a notary, know someone who is, or if you are interested in becoming one, please contact us. Let’s get to work and make sure that future generations have access to legal and safe abortion services.
Last year, the local Women’s March turned out hundreds of folks in Flagstaff in a number of protests after the fall of Roe.
In Memoriam of Jackie Dierks-Walker
It is with a great deal of sadness that we share the passing of Jackie Dierks-Walker in July of this year. A committed and tireless advocate for democratic values, she contributed time and energy in moving the Democratic Party forward in these challenging times. She served as both a precinct and state committee person and walked her precinct speaking to folks about candidates that she supported and believed important to help win office. Jackie served as the chair of the Roosevelt Kennedy planning committee for a number of years and came up with the idea of a telethon as a way to bid on donated items for the fundraising auction. It not only energized the dinner but increased profits from the event to help raise needed funds for a full time office and staff person. Jackie was also a devoted volunteer with the CC Dems at the Flagstaff Family Food Center. She was truly an enthusiastic team member in whatever she did and her devotion to democratic values will be sorely missed in the Flagstaff Democratic Party and Coconino County.
We will miss her spirit, devotion and hard work for our community. Her family is planning a memorial service in the near future.
Media Matters – Indian Country Today
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.
This edition’s submission is by Laura Huenneke. Laura is the CC Dems Secretary and a PC.
Our County Party holds a firm commitment to honor the indigenous people and lands within Coconino
County, and to be a good partner to Northeast Arizona Native Dems and other groups working on behalf of tribal citizens. But it can be hard for many to become familiar with the issues and perspectives that matter directly to the Dine’, Hopi, Havasupai, and other tribal people here – especially as many of us moved here from other parts of the country. I have found the journalists and editors at Indian Country Today (ICT) to be rich sources of news and insights – invaluable for opening my eyes and sharpening my thoughts.
I’ve also learned a great deal from many deeply-reported pieces from Indian Country in High Country News. But ICT focuses solely on reports from and for indigenous people and governments, across all of North America (not just the American West). ICT produces a regular television news show that can be watched most weekdays on Arizona PBS (through the Cronkite School of Journalism) but also on dozens of community access stations and on tribal stations such as Navajo Nation TV and GRBC (Gila River Tribe) here in Arizona.
Their website showcases press releases from many tribal governments and news sources. Reading through news reports and press releases on the ICT website is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of how native interests are not monolithic – they are highly diverse and there’s no single interpretation of native culture or political perspectives.
ICT also distributes a free weekly electronic newsletter, which can be a convenient way of staying in touch with the major issues affecting indigenous people in North America. And ICT operates as a non-profit, sharing its content freely for reposting or distribution and not collecting any subscription fees.
Recent stories include a piece on how climate disruption has been affecting tribal communities (https://ictnews.org/news/extreme-weather-hits-native-communities ), a sensitive biography of a renowned lacrosse stick maker from the Onondaga Nation, and a description of new federal (Bureau of Indian Education) resources for behavioral and mental health programs aimed at young native people (https://ictnews.org/news/behavioral-health-and-wellness-program-expanded-for-tribal-youth ). Find Indian Country Today at https://ictnews.org/ . Whether you visit occasionally to skim recent news, catch the television newscast on PBS, or follow them on social media, your understanding will benefit from diverse voices we rarely hear elsewhere in the mainstream media.
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: registration closes on September 5th. If you require a proxy, you will need to complete and return this proxy form by Wednesday, September 5th.
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 at the end of the month, we will be registering voters in our high schools, at Coconino Community College and at Northern Arizona University. Here are a few ways to help register voters on college & university campuses:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!
Upcoming Events : Coconino County Democratic Party
Here’s How to Reach Your Executive Committee Members
