ARIZONA FOR ABORTION ACCESS NEWS

VOLUNTEER TO TEXT

Volunteer for our texting campaign to reach 250,000 women voters ages 18-45 to sign the petition. TEXTING BEGINS MARCH 18TH. Sign up here to volunteer. You will receive instructions once you register.  

SIGNATURE GOALS

The LWVAZ Goal is 10K Signatures by June!  We currently have about 1,600 signatures, so we have 8,400 to go.  LWVAZ has asked NWMC to commit to 1000 signatures by June.  We have around 50 petitions checked out which equals 750 pending signatures.  If we collect 333 signatures each for March, April and May, we will meet our goal. 
Petitions can often be notarized by your local bank.  LWVMP member Rivko Knox has also offered her services as a notary.  She lives  in Glendale (N of Thunderbird and E of 31st Ave). Please contact her (bvaandrk@gmail.com OR 602-430-5287) to set up an appointment if you need a notary.   Once they are notarized, please contact Tina Mollica (623-326-1952) or Lois Hanson (623-225-9738) to turn them in.

HOW TO GET MORE SIGNATURES:

• March 19 is primary election day. Make sure you are outside of 75 ft and the polling site allows electioneering (Maricopa County Polling Locations)

• Host a house party

• Canvass your neighborhood 

• Collect at busy public locations - city parks, Farmer’s Markets, trailheads and libraries

• Sign up for volunteer slots on Mobilize and bring your LWV petitions

• Ask your friends to help collect signatures and get them up to speed by sharing the Do's and Don'ts and the training video

• Join the effort to collect signatures near bars (10pm-2am) by connecting with Celina Washburn, cwasburn@healthcarerisingaz.org 

2024 LEGISLATIVE WEEK

Recordings from Lunch and Learn Virtual Sessions

Our popular Virtual Lunch and Learn sessions featured  experts in key areas of Arizona League advocacy and senior legislative staff members.

• Monday, Feb 19, Initiatives, Referendums, Propositions: how do they get on your ballot?   

  • Initiatives, referendums, and propositions, collectively known as ballot measures, allow citizens to shape laws and policies actively. Initiatives are proposals by citizens; referendums are laws passed by the legislature and put on the ballot for a vote. Once a ballot measure is certified for the ballot, it is called a proposition and assigned a number. Explore the path to the  Arizona ballot and gain insights from LWVAZ Advocacy members on trends in citizen-led initiatives.

  • Presenters:  Cindy Walsh & Pinny Sheoran, LWV Arizona Advocacy Committee members

  • Link to video:  https://youtu.be/cD4gma0WTLM?si=qQIYPzltKWwhdmnJ 

• Tuesday, Feb 20,  Will the Electoral Count Reform Act Shake up Arizona Election Certification?

  • The bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 (ECRA) stipulates that each state's executive must certify the state's elector slate, including the presidential popular vote results, six days before the electors' official voting date. The newly enacted legislation further mandates the electors to convene on "the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December," aligning with December 17, 2024, for the 2024 presidential election. These provisions require state executives to certify their elector slate by the second Wednesday of December (December 11, 2024) to meet the revised deadline. Listen to the  experts to understand the implications of ECRA on Arizona's presidential elections.

  • Presenters:  Spencer Klein , Campaign Legal Center, Alex Gullotta, and Brian Garcia. All Voting is Local Arizona

  • Link to Video https://youtu.be/G52t1j8GZiI?si=0WnjQ3PU3miExjRR

•  Wednesday, Feb 21, Can Legislation Prevent the Impact of AI Deep Fakes on Elections?   

  • Legislation can mitigate the impact of AI deep fakes on elections by implementing robust measures to detect, regulate, and penalize the creation and dissemination of deceptive content. Join the conversation to understand and advocate for effective regulatory solutions.

  • Presenters:  Jonah Minkoff-Zern, Campaign Co-Director, Public Citizen's Democracy Campaign (PCDC), 

  • Link to Video https://youtu.be/DdCCRnOlYrY?si=k0OeFJp7vITgcJ_x

• Thursday, Feb 22, What’s Going on Inside the Legislature? 

  • Presenters:  Rhonda Barnes, House Minority Deputy Chief of Staff/ General Counsel;  Elisabeth Higgins, Senate Minority General Counsel/ Policy Advisor; Mike Hans, Senate Minority Policy Advisor

  • Link to Video https://youtu.be/258vmm78UCw?si=fK3jTOY5_TrEdbeO

"Democracy Truth: A Podcast Journey with the League of Women Voters of Arizona"

Launched by the League of Women Voters of Arizona (LWVAZ) with support from a grant from the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS), the "Democracy Truth" initiative aims to dispel mis- and disinformation about Arizona's election processes. The project utilizes podcasts to reach a broader and more diverse audience by providing accurate information about the election system. This endeavor has been both a learning and collaborative experience.

The initiative, led by Janet Kerby and Cindy Walsh, began with a call for volunteers within the LWVAZ community. Jan Felton,  Suzanne Miller, April Lewis, and Gitelle Seer signed up. We welcome additional volunteers from all local leagues to join us in this important (and fun) project. 

Our fantastic team includes Gautam Sheoran, who plays a crucial role behind the scenes, turning recorded audio into engaging podcasts, Emra Muslim, advocacy intern, and former intern Brigid Fitzgerald. Our interns bring new perspectives and vitality to the team. Emra tackles various tasks necessary for podcast production, including research, voice talent, scriptwriting, editing, and rehearsing. 

Developing a unique voice for the podcast required patience, trial and error, and a readiness to adapt. The team created templates and refined their methods to make the content informative and accessible. The success of this approach owes much to the team members who possess exceptional speaking abilities and bring the scripts to life with their vocal talents.

So far, "Democracy Truth" has released two episodes: "Decoding Arizona's Voter Registration Process" and "Casting a Vote My Way: Tips for Arizona Independents on Voting Procedures." The next episode, "Skip the Line: Your Guide to Early Voting," is in the works, with plans for more content to clarify the voting process for Arizona residents. Find our Podcasts here  https://linktr.ee/lwvazpodcasts.

The project's journey is ongoing, with the primary challenge being to reach listeners statewide. This initiative is more than just about producing podcasts; it reflects the collective effort, the significance of civic education, and a steadfast commitment to democracy's principles. 

We invite everyone to spread the word, one listener at a time.

For over 100 years, the League of Women Voters has been a nonpartisan, activist, grassroots, national organization that believes voters should play a critical role in democracy.  Your gift will help support voter services and education, outreach at collaborative nonpartisan events, team meeting activities, membership meetings, newsletters and more.

There are two kinds of donations that can be made.

1. LWVNWMC is a registered Arizona nonprofit corporation as a 501©(4) organization.  Donations to this entity may be used for advocacy and lobbying efforts to support our Public Policy Positions and are NOT tax-deductible.

2.  The LWVNWMC Education Fund it a tax-deductible 501©(3) charitable organization. Funds contributed to the Education Fund will be used for educational purposes only. To receive a tax-deductible benefit, you must address your check to LWVNWMC EDUCATION FUND.

All donations made by mail should be sent to our Treasurer: Leslie Eaton, 19116 N 93rd Ave, Peoria, AZ 85382 

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