Coconino County Chairwoman Laura Carter introduces honored guest Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano to local Democrats and supporters at our Winter Party fundraiser on December 12th.
Letter from the Chair
Dear Coconino County Democrats and Allies,
We are wrapping up a busy year of events and actions!
Thank you to all who joined us at the Ice House for my Winter Party fundraiser, our 18th and final event of 2023. A full capacity crowd of enthusiastic supporters were inspired by Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano, and gave generously to keep the Coco Dems moving forward. Thank you to the volunteers and donors who helped produce a fabulous, festive event. If you missed it, please consider an end of year donation to help sustain our work.
Come by the office after the New Year to see our new look. We’ve cleared the way and redesigned the space to be ready for the work of electing more Democrats in 2024.
Thank you to Operations Manager Jasmine Viehe, Bryan Bates, Pamela Carter, and
Nancy Branham for clearing out the clutter and making way for serious business. We
are ready to launch into this critical election year, with space for phone banking,
postcard writing, candidate meetings, call time, and volunteer activities. This year has
been about building capacity for the massive job ahead, so that together we can help
deliver Arizona for Biden and elect Democrats up and down the ballot.
Our office is also a Hub for the Arizona for Abortion Access, and it’s been buzzing with
activity. We are well on our way to collecting the signatures needed to get this
constitutional amendment on the ballot. Sign up to take the training to be a petition
circulator if you haven’t already. We could use more notaries willing to give a couple
hours a week, too. Thank you to Indivisible-Northern Arizona for partnering with us to
provide support services for petition circulators and initiative organizers, and to Flagstaff Abortion Alliance for getting it all started. I’m so grateful for all of you, our committed Party members and devoted volunteers, who not only do the work but also provide financial support to make it possible. If you’re still looking for how to engage, we can help you find the committee and the work that matches your schedule and interests. It’s going to take all of us doing our part to swing Arizona blue and preserve our democracy for generations to come. We are in the fight of our lifetimes, and with your help we will win it.
Wishing you joy and peace on Earth,
Laura Carter
Changes in the office
An Evening Serving Our Community
For the past few months, teams of volunteers from the Coconino County Democrats have been serving dinner once a month at the Flagstaff Family Food Center. I joined the team a few weeks back – it’s a fantastic way of connecting with our community.
A volunteer shift begins at 3 p.m., checking in with staff and receiving an orientation. The Center feeds hundreds of people in the dining room each evening, but also distributes takeout meals to scores or hundreds more. Preparations begin with organizing the service line area for the dining room. Meanwhile others are prepping dozens of meals (and the supplies for a couple of hundred more) near the takeout window. Those of us volunteering for the first time were welcomed warmly by the “regulars” on site. These generous volunteers are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, efficient, and encouraging… (continued here).
***Coconino County Democrats have volunteered to serve dinner at the Flagstaff Family Food Center Kitchen on the First Thursday of each month. This commitment is from 3PM to 6PM @ their kitchen located at 1903 N. 2nd Street, Flagstaff, AZ. We’re looking for folks to serve meals on January 4th and February 5th.
Sign up at Family Food Center.
eQual: Your Most Valuable Resource for Candidate Petitions
By: Laura Huenneke
Candidates for elected office in Arizona must collect some minimum number of signatures of registered voters in their districts in order to make it onto the ballot. This process, overseen by the Arizona Secretary of State, drives candidates and their staff or volunteers to circulate petitions at every public opportunity (and at private ones, like house parties or neighborhood events). Fortunately the Secretary of State’s Office, in partnership with the Arizona Clean Elections Commission, has created an on-line process that allows voters to find and sign candidate petitions at their own convenience. The system is called “eQual” and you find it at https://apps.azsos.gov/equal/ — (continued here).
E-QUAL
In Arizona, candidates are required to obtain a minimum number of petition signatures to appear on a ballot. Voters interested in assisting Statewide and Legislative candidates can now sign a petition electronically. With E-Qual, you can show your support for a candidate from the comfort of your home or anywhere internet access is available.
You can sign many of these petitions online in a matter of minutes using the E-Qual System.
You will need to have your AZ driver’s license or non-operating ID number handy or, alternatively, your voter registration number and last four SSN digits.
Arizona for Abortion Access Ballot Initiative
The Coconino County Democrats office is your local petition hub. We have the Arizona for Abortion Access (AAA) ballot initiative petitions available and ready for circulation.
The AAA Campaign requires that all petition circulators must first complete an official petition circulator training. Right now there are online trainings available by registering with Healthcare Rising and/ or Arizona’s List. The Coconino Democratic Party and Indivisible NAZ is hosting a monthly in-person training. The next in-person training will be at 11am, January 20, 2023 at the Ice House. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP here.
*Please note you must provide your training date information to check out any petitions from the Flagstaff Hub.
Check out Arizona’s List, Healthcare Rising, our website calendar & our Mobilize page for news, updates, and training information.
- You can stop by on Mondays between 11AM-1PM and Fridays from 1PM-3PM to pick up petitions.
- Get your petitions notarized at the office same days, Mondays between 11AM-1PM and Fridays from 1pm-3pm.
- We are looking for volunteers to add locations and hours to notarize petitions.
- If you are a notary and would like to volunteer services, please email us.
Getting this initiative onto the 2024 ballot will be key to turning out the vote and wining all races from re-electing Biden to flipping our legislature.
Fight for Democracy. Protect our Freedoms.
Support the 2024 Election.
