NEWS FROM THE COCONINO COUNTY DEMOCRATS
October 4, 2024
In this edition: Plan to attend our monthly meeting as we prepare for ballot drop and the start of early voting! Get all the details on early voting. Help with candidate research, voter protection, and more in our work to defend democracy – join us!
Our Final Big Pre-election Event: The Democracy Fair
The Coconino County Democratic Party will host the Democracy Fair, a free, family-friendly event for the community, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, from noon to 4 p.m. at the DuBois Ballroom at Northern Arizona University, 306 E. Pine Knoll Drive.
The Democracy Fair will feature activities to promote civic engagement and voter education. Attendees will have the opportunity to eat free food, meet 2024 candidates, discover how the Arizona Corporation Commission determines our energy future, make art and take selfies in the Coconut Club, write postcards, register to vote, check their voter registration status, and learn about Proposition 139: Arizona for Abortion Access and other state and local propositions.
In addition to civic activities, the event will provide a platform for local and campus organizations to share resources and connect with students and community members. The Democracy Fair is open to everyone and offers a chance to enjoy an afternoon of fun, family, food and friends while engaging in meaningful conversations about Arizona’s future.
Free parking for the event will be available only in lots P45, P45A, P45B, P46, P48 and P48A – see map below. Parking in all other areas of campus requires a paid parking permit.
Please RSVP via Mobilize at this link
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/687411
Letter from the Chair
Dear Democrats and Allies,
General Election Ballots drop in one week! I join Secretary of State Adrian Fontes in urging you to vote early. Help us focus on chasing votes by taking your own name off the list of folks we need to call to get their ballots in. This is one important step we can take to help Get Out the Vote and win for Democrats up and down the ballot. Once you vote, we will take your name off the list of doors to knock and phones to call!
We joined former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords at the Arizona Democratic Party Gala in Phoenix last weekend. She graciously accepted the Coconino County Spirit of Democracy award and thanked us for the honor. Gabby spoke powerfully to the issue of gun violence, reminding us that life can change in an instant and encouraging us to fight hard for our freedoms.
I was honored to be included in the recent Arizona Native American Caucus meeting held in Phoenix. Tribal leaders and organizers from across the state joined to energize Native voters to elect Harris-Walz and Democrats down the ballot because we know that Democrats prioritize sovereignty, climate change action, and economic justice.
We’re excited to be part of the 15-stop tour of Navajo Nation and look forward to meeting with our Coconino County neighbors who live and work on sovereign lands.
The most valuable action we can take now is to knock on doors, followed by phone and text banking. Every conversation you have with a voter is another opportunity to get out the vote for common sense gun laws, reproductive health care, climate change action, and democracy. Sign up here to join the effort to elect Democrats up and down the ballot! Canvass with the Coordinated Campaign.
Come to the Democracy Fair on Saturday, October 5, at the DuBois Ballroom from 12-4 pm. Meet the candidates, engage with community activists, enjoy lunch, and make a friendship bracelet in the Coconut Club at this free community event. Bring a friend!
Remember to cast your ballot early and sign up to canvass!
Blue AZ 2024,
Laura Carter
Early Voting Begins Next Week
At long last, Election 2024 is upon us. Early ballots go into the mail on Wednesday, October 9, and we can also vote early in person beginning on that date. Here’s the nuts and bolts of early voting:
- Most voters are already on the Automatic Early Voting List (AEVL), and a ballot will automatically be mailed to them on the 9th.
- Anyone else may request a ballot be mailed to them – request this from the County Recorder by October 25. This link goes to the request form.
- You may return your ballot by mail (no postage required). The County strongly suggests putting it in the mail no later than Tuesday, Oct. 29, to ensure it is received in time to be counted.
- You may place your ballot in a drop box any time before 7 pm on Election Day. Ballots are collected daily from drop boxes by County elections workers. There are 17 drop boxes across the County, and more on the tribal nations. A list of the drop boxes can be found here.
- You may return your early ballot (in its signed envelope) to any location where in-person voting is taking place, either early (see below), or on Election Day.
- Of course, you may want to vote early in person. There are 8 locations for early voting; the two in Flagstaff can accommodate voters from any County precinct, while other locations serve voters from only specific precincts. Find the locations, hours of operation, and precinct information here.
With so many choices, all of them secure and convenient, it’s no wonder that 80 – 90 % of Arizonans vote early! Make your own plan about when and where to vote – and keep this list to share with everyone you know.
Saturday, October 12, 10 am – noon
NOTE — WE ARE BACK IN THE MURDOCH CENTER!!
203 E. Brannen Ave, Flagstaff
or via Zoom (link below)
We’ll hear from those who are directing our major outreach, get-out-the-vote, and voter protection efforts for the fall election. Find the perfect place for you to lend your assistance. And get the most up-to-date information on voting, as well as enjoying the good company of your fellow defenders of democracy, and (of course) coffee and donuts!
CC Dems is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Monthly Action Meeting
Time: Oct 12, 2024 10:00 AM Arizona
Every month on the Second Sat, 2 occurrence(s)
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88520216983?pwd=MFBHVDdEMHo1cVkwNTNKL3VhRi9nQT09
Meeting ID: 885 2021 6983
Passcode: 121050
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Meeting ID: 885 2021 6983
Passcode: 121050
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/km3udRzdw
Be Part of Protecting This Election
One of the most powerful and important contributions you can make in the upcoming election is also one of the easiest: simply watching as voters, poll workers, and election officials carry out their roles. Your careful observation and your understanding of the process will be the antidote to any post-election claims of fraud or corruption.
Serving as a poll observer is the front line of voter protection. You check whether the doors are open and ballots are available when the polls are due to open at 6 am. You watch how voters are greeted, their identification checked, and their ballots handled throughout the day. And you see whether everyone waiting in line at 7 pm, when the polls close, is allowed to vote. In the unlikely event of any problems (for example, long lines, lack of ballots, voter harassment), you can report through an on-line system to a crew from the Arizona Democratic Party who work with election officials to correct the situation.
Recruitment of poll observers is finishing up for the General Election. First step — you must sign up on the Arizona Democratic Party volunteer interest form:
Please sign up now to start receiving all the background info.
Next, sign up for one of the on-line trainings. These are excellent preparation – and they also provide you with a wonderful reference manual for your use if any questions arise while you are observing. Finally – the training introduces you to the on-line reporting tool (called LBJ) that is available to you on Election Day.
https://www.mobilize.us/jumpstartaz/event/669345
We also are organizing observers for the Recorder’s Office, where early ballots have envelope signatures verified, and the Elections Center, where ballots are counted or tabulated. Early voting begins October 9, and ballot opening and tabulation will begin shortly after that! So if you are interested in taking a shift or two at the Recorder’s Office in downtown Flagstaff, or at the Elections Center in Flagstaff, instead of or in addition to an Election Day assignment at a polling place, please let laura.huenneke@gmail.com know ASAP and we will get you an assignment.
It takes a village to cover all the polling places in our huge County. And because early ballots will be coming in and being counted throughout October and beyond, there will be many chances to watch and learn about these crucial processes. Thanks for your willingness to help protect our voters and our election!
Thanks for joining us – we are all in this together, and together we will win!
Your Ballot Guide – Arriving Soon
Our most ambitious voter education piece of the election cycle – our Ballot Guide – will go into the mail and land in your mailbox at about the same time as early ballots. We are sending out 40,000 of these to registered Democrats and Dem-leaning Independents throughout the County. The Guide lists our recommended candidates in every federal, statewide, and County race. (We didn’t list or endorse candidates in municipal or school district races, since there are so many local races across the County.) There’s also a list of the state and County-level ballot propositions, with our recommendations. (Just in case you don’t have time to read and digest the 354 page booklet from the Arizona Secretary of State!) And the Guide includes links to helpful information for voting. Remember, this year’s ballot is very long – the County estimates it could take a person 20-30 minutes to go through it all. Sit down when you have time, and use the Ballot Guide side-by-side with your ballot as you use your (black or blue ink) pen!
So Many New Voters!
One major commitment the Coconino Democrats made this past year was to register as many new voters as possible. This has included registering new Democrats at our public outreach events, of course, and in Hopi and Navajo communities in partnership with Northeast Arizona Native Democrats.. But we have also carried out non-partisan voter registration at Northern Arizona University, Coconino Community College, and local high schools. As an update to an earlier effort to send welcome postcards to new Democrats in the County, we recently ran the list of voters registering as Democrats from early April to now. We had expected perhaps 200 names, based on earlier rates – but in fact we saw more than 1000 new Democrats!
Thanks to those who have led these efforts, and to the many of you who have helped register new voters at our many tabling and outreach events. Please know that these many individual sign-ups – though they may have seemed like modest gains at the time – have added up to a truly significant impact on voter numbers in our County. It takes a village – and we are grateful to all of you for your assistance.
Have You Communicated with Your Elected Representative?
Our Strategic Research & Messaging Committee is still looking for input as they prepare more head-to-head comparisons between incumbents and challengers for these last weeks of the campaign. They received a small number of responses last time but would appreciate more. So, if you have ever tried to communicate as a constituent with one of your elected officials, please provide them with some data!
Did he or she respond? Were your issues adequately addressed?
Please let us know about your experience communicating with your elected
representative by emailing us at the following address:
We are especially interested in communications with:
Representative Eli Crane
Bob Thorp (former Arizona legislator and candidate for Coconino County Recorder)
Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers
Arizona State Representative Walter Blackman
Arizona State Representative David Marshall
Join Events with the Coordinated Campaign
- On Wednesday at 6pm we will be hosting a virtual phone bank.
- On Thursday at 6pm we will be hosting a virtual phonebank.
- On Saturday at 9am join a Special Guest for a door-to-door canvass.
- We will also be hosting canvasses at 12pm on Saturday as well as 9am and 12pm on Sunday.
- Join us Saturday at 3pm for a virtual phonebank.
- On Sunday at 2pm we will be hosting our weekly Organizing Meeting.
- Join us Sunday at 3pm for a virtual phonebank.
Please sign up for these events at https://www.mobilize.us/jumpstartaz/
Launching a Veterans Outreach Committee
Dear PC’s and Volunteers,
We are trying to establish a Veterans Outreach Committee as part of the Coconino County Democrats. There are a great number of veterans, active duty military, and veteran families that we could reach. It’s late to do much for the November election but this is a longer-term effort.
We are looking for PC’s and Volunteers who might be interested in helping make this effort a success. It would be nice to have veterans on the committee but we are open to anyone who feels strongly about our effort to support Veterans and their families.
Please let me know if you would be interested in helping out with this. Send me an e-mail at DBOOMGAARDEN0426@GMAIL.COM or text me at 928-814-1487.
Thanks
Darrell Boomgaarden
Join Us in Our Key Outreach and Voter Education Work
as We Approach the Finish Line
This is our final push through Election Day! The Coconino County Democrats are still fully engaged with outreach efforts. We’d love to have your help, especially helping talk with voters near the Community Market in downtown Flagstaff each Sunday morning. We are still serving dinner at the Flagstaff Family Food Center on the first Thursday of each month, too. Have you tried our “one-stop-shop” way of signing up to get involved? This link below takes you to a spreadsheet where you can learn about all of our events and sign up for those you’d like to help with. The tabs at the bottom are by month; click on OCTOBER if you’d like to see what we have going that month, for example. Each sheet then presents all of the events for that month, from serving dinner at the Flagstaff Family Food Center, to talking to voters at the Sunday markets. Put your name and contact information into the sheet where you’d like to help; no need to email or call or click Submit, because the sheet will be updated and your information will be visible to the organizer as soon as you sign up. Thanks for being part of the fun and the great work we are doing this election year!
Calendar of Events
To share an upcoming event in our bi-monthly newsletter or the monthly events calendar on our website, please email us (at info@coconinodemocrats.org) the details by Friday prior to each newsletter.
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