NEWSLETTER
April 18, 2024
In this edition: Last chance to buy tickets for the Roosevelt – Kennedy Dinner Gala, and to support our Day Match Donors! Check out the items to be auctioned during the Gala evening. Help us collect signatures for the reproductive rights petition, serve our community at the Flagstaff Family Food Center, and more in our work to defend democracy. And read further to hear from our Chair, Laura Carter, about the listening tour she joined with the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats.
It’s not too late to purchase your tickets for our 24th annual Roosevelt-Kennedy gala! Join us April 20th for an evening of celebration and camaraderie. Help us raise funds for our work to swing Arizona blue in 2024!Hurry – tickets are on sale for just a few more days! $125 per person or $1,000 per table. Learn about the event and purchase tickets through ActBlue or mail or bring payment in person to the office.
This year’s event will include a Silent Auction featuring over a dozen must-have items,including a set of Linda Kucera quilted placemats, custom pottery, a hand painted silk scarf, photo book of the Grand Canyon with the photographer and appetizer/wine reception, custom tour with Bryan Bates as your guide, necklace from Gold Wolff Jewelers, a Darcy Falk quilted wall hanging, two vacation options in Tucson, and two signed prints (one by Shonto Begay and one by Roberta Rogers).The Live Auction will feature a giclee print on canvas by Shonto Begay, Wine Dinner for four by Frank Branham, and a STUNNING Little Free Library (includes installation) built by George and Louise Hublitz. Click on the image above to purchase tickets – and prepare for a fabulous evening of fun!
Support our RK “Day Match Donors”
Only a few days left to contribute to our Day Match Donor program! We are so grateful to all those listed below, who made substantial gifts to match donations coming in on “their” days. Their leadership and generosity build the foundation that funds our crucial work in this election year – getting out the vote, educating voters about our candidates, and much more. Don’t miss the chance to add to their gifts, and please help us thank these generous donors!
April 6 – Our AWESOME Volunteers — Dawn Schackner, Sally Harvey,
Denbie Nash, Dana Jolly, Linda Guarino, and Patti Van Tuyl
April 7 – Nancy & Frank Branham
April 8 – Barry Bertani
April 9 – Don & Anita Howard and George & Louise Hublitz
April 10 – Laura Huenneke & Steve Warburton
April 11 – Richard & Hannah Cortner
April 12 – Leslie Schulz
April 13 – Marilyn Weissman and Sue Ordway
April 14 – Development Committee: Karen Kinne-Herman & Stephanie Berger
April 15 – Bill & Ellen Wade
April 16 – Harriet Young
April 17 – Patrice Horstman, Lulu Santamaria,
Cathy Small, and Phyllis Schiller
April 18 – Ann Heitland & Barb Orcutt
April 19 – Pamela & Laura Carter
Use the link below to donate on your chosen day, or send a check to our office
and note the person(s) whom you are matching.
Thank you for supporting our defense of democracy!
Calling All Our Precinct Committee-persons!
It’s time to elect district-level delegates who will represent our congressional district (CD 2) at the Democratic National Convention. The Arizona Democratic Party is holding a virtual meeting and elections this coming Saturday, April 20, to select 47 delegates for this crucial stage of Election Year 2024. The election for CD 2, including presentation of the candidates and electronic voting, begins at 10 am. (If you haven’t voted in ADP meetings before with their app, Election Buddy, you can take part in a brief training just beforehand.) Register for this important session at the link below – and thank you for your participation in our democracy!
Letter from the Chair
Dear Coconino County Democrats and Friends,
Last week, my sister Pamela and I joined the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats
(NAND) for a listening tour on Navajo Nation. We worked with organizers to register
voters, check voter registration, and listen to the concerns of community members.
Our focus was on circulating the Arizona for Abortion Access petition and delivering
food donations to the elders of the four communities we visited: Tuba City, Le Chee,
Kaibeto, and the Crossroads near Navajo Mountain.
The response to the AAA petition was interesting, and typically divided by generations.
Few had heard of it; the last time petitions were circulated on Navajo Nation was when
Pamela and I attended the Rural Action Summit last October! We were told that
traditionally Navajos revere the sanctity of all life and do not feel comfortable with the
topic of abortion. A number of elders politely declined to sign. Nevertheless, we
collected several pages of signatures and not once did we see or hear an angry
response. It was very satisfying to meet dozens of community members who were
grateful for the opportunity to support the initiative to protect bodily autonomy and
reproductive healthcare for women. Seeing how different generations can respectfully
disagree over a highly sensitive issue motivated us to continue engaging in the
conversation.
Just before we packed up to leave the Crossroads, an elderly veteran pulled up in a big red truck. We gave him a basket of Bluebird flour, oil, baking powder, beans, Spam, and fruit and thanked him for his service. After checking his voter registration and sharing
the list of 2024 Democratic candidates, I explained the Arizona for Abortion Access
petition and the new ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court that will hurtle us back to
1864. He said “I fought for our freedom one time, and I will sign that petition to fight for it
again.”
We came away from Navajo Nation with a greater appreciation and understanding of
our neighbors, closer ties to the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats, and a deep
appreciation for the work they do to educate and engage voters across Sovereign
Lands. It was wonderful opportunity to learn from the experts and grow our capacity to
reach all the voters of Coconino County. I hope you are encouraged to get out there
and do what you can to engage and educate voters about the fight for Democracy and
how to win it.
Blue AZ 2024,
Laura
Arizona for Abortion Access Ballot Initiative
As you know, the Coconino County Democrats office has been circulating the Arizona for Abortion Access (AAA) ballot initiative petitions. We serve as a home for the alliance of groups gathering signatures and promoting this key proposal for reproductive rights. And as you also know, the Arizona Supreme Court last week highlighted the urgency of this measure by ruling that the virtual ban on all abortions (even those stemming from rape or incest), dating back to before Arizona’s statehood, is current law in the state.
We continue to collect signatures for this initiative, not just to ensure it makes it onto the November ballot, but to inform and activate voters to build turnout in the general election. If you haven’t yet talked to friends and neighbors about the initiative, please consider filling just one petition page and returning it to us to be notarized and submitted!
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 are hosting a monthly in-person training. The next will be at 11am, March 23, 2024.
Check out Arizona’s List, Healthcare Rising, our website calendar & our Mobilize page for news, updates, and training information.
- You can stop by on TUESDAYS and Fridays between 11:30 AM-1:30 PM to pick up petitions and also to have them notarized.
- New approach! Indivisible provides a free tool that gives you a list of 10 neighbors who are likely to sign the petition. You do not need to be a member to use this tool! You’ll get a sample script and optional print out to leave behind if no one is home. Here’s the link to get your list: https://indivisibleproject.formstack.com/forms/neighbor_to_neighbor_az_signatures
New this spring: First Fridays with the Coconino Democrats!
- Visit us at the Historic Ice House May 3, from 5PM-8PM, to view the ongoing art displays, and stop by the Coconino County Democratic Party office to SIGN THE ARIZONA FOR ABORTION ACCESS PETITION and learn how to get involved. Pick up a temporary tattoo or make a button from one of our designs!
Getting this initiative onto the 2024 ballot will be key to turning out the vote and winning all races from re-electing Biden to flipping our legislature. We value your help!
Coconino County Democrats volunteer to serve dinner at the
Flagstaff Family Food Center Kitchen on the First Thursday of each month.
We serve meals from 3PM to 6PM at their kitchen,
located at 1903 N. 2nd Street, Flagstaff, AZ.
We’re looking for folks to serve meals on
May 2 and June 6, 2024.
Sign up here!
To share an upcoming event in our bi-monthly newsletter or the monthly events calendar on our website, please email us the details by Friday prior to each newsletter.
Fight for Democracy. Protect our Freedoms.
Support the 2024 Election. Become a monthly donor today.
Paid for by the Coconino County Democratic Party.
Donations are political contributions and not tax-deductible.