LWVNAZ Members and Supporters:

Our goal with the monthly newsletter is to provide you with a quick snapshot of our monthly events and activities all in one place.  Hope you enjoy it!

We are providing information that the League is sponsoring as well as information about events that you might find of interest. Feel free to share this information with anyone you think would benefit from this information!

Hello fellow Leaguers,

Maryann Kenney

President LWVNAZ

Voter Education Programs

January 20, 2024    2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

KSB EcoHub, 360 Brewer Rd. Sedona, AZ

WHO IS THE INDEPENDENT VOTER?

with Thom Reilly and Jacqueline Salit

co-directors of the Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy at Arizona State University

and co-authors of The Independent Voter  Routledge, 2022

Independents (registered as “Party Not Designated,” the official term used in Arizona) are now the largest bloc of potential voters in our state—a plurality of Arizona voters. Who are these growing numbers of independents, what do they want, and how are they transforming the political landscape in Arizona and the United States? How is the volatile crisis in US democracy connected to this steep rise of independent voters?

Thom Reilly is a professor in the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University. He is a former director of ASU’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, a former chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education and a former county manager of Clark County, Nevada.

Jacqueline Salit is the President of IndependentVoting.org, the country’s leading strategy and organizing center for independents, with chapters in 40 states. She managed Michael Bloomberg’s three campaigns for New York City Mayor on the Independence Party (IP) line. 

This program is free and everyone is welcome.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization open to all individuals. It encourages informed and active participation in government and works to influence public policy through education and advocacy. LWVNAZ is fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. The League never supports or opposes political parties or candidates for elective offices. For more information about the League of Women Voters, see www.lwvnaz.org.

LWV Northern Arizona Collecting Signatures for

ARIZONA FOR ABORTION ACCESS CAMPAIGN

Looking for a great way to get involved? Please consider becoming a LWVNAZ signature gatherer for the “Arizona for Abortion Access” (AAA) campaign to help get reproductive rights on the ballot next November. We have petitions, clipboards, instructions, and training to get anyone ready to help us reach the LWV Arizona goal of 10,000 signatures. With your help, we can help the campaign reach its 350,000+ signature threshold and get closer to enshrining abortion access in Arizona’s constitution.

LWV Northern Arizona members can pick-up campaign petitions and material from League member, Robyn Prud’homme-Bauer. Please email, Robyn at lwvnaz@gmail.com if you are interested in gathering signatures or have any questions. A link to a recorded Zoom training session for gathering signatures will be sent out to League members volunteering to collect signatures.  An in-person meeting for League members gathering signatures will be held in late January 2024.

LWV’s Role in the Campaign
The LWV Arizona has a key role as a member of the field committee organized under the auspices of Health Care Rising (HCR).   We have committed to obtaining a minimum of 10,000 signatures supporting the Arizona for Abortion Access ballot measure. The deadline for submitting signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State is July 3, 2024. Our goal is to submit our petitions to the campaign by June 30, 2024, to allow time for the campaign to quality-check the petitions.

LWV Arizona petitions are identified by numbers. For LWV Arizona to get credit for the signatures, we urge our members to sign LWV Arizona petitions.

Distributing and Collecting Petitions (Petition circulators)

• Pick up petitions from LWVNAZ member, Robyn Prud’homme-Bauer
• Collect signatures following the guidelines in the petition’s "Dos and Dont's" document
  • Easy way to collect signatures:  Ask family members, friends, colleagues or neighbors who are registered voters to sign a petition. If every League member collected 10 signatures – LWVAZ would easily meet their signature collection goal!
  • LWVNAZ will be having signature gathering events in early 2024. A list of events and locations for League volunteers to help out at, will be sent out as soon as they are organized.
• Take signed petitions to a notary to be notarized (a list of notaries will be provided with your petitions)
• Return signed and notarized petitions to LWVNAZ or non-League AAA petition collection location (Drop-off locations will be provided with your petitions)
• Training and Support materials 
  • Copies of role-specific instructions will be given to all volunteers with the petitions.
  • A recorded Petition  Circulator Training will be sent to all volunteers

About the Campaign
Arizona for Abortion Access is a coalition of reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations working to ensure Arizonans can make the decisions that are best for them and their families — free from government interference. This ballot committee is supported by the ACLU of Arizona, Affirm Sexual and Reproductive Health, Arizona List, Healthcare Rising Arizona, Reproductive Freedom for All Arizona (formerly NARAL Arizona), and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona. Together, these organizations represent hundreds of thousands of Arizonans in every community and from every walk of life.

These trusted institutions have worked extensively together protecting and expanding abortion access over the years. They have now partnered to begin collecting signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2024 ballot. This amendment will protect abortion access in Arizona and ensure every person can make this deeply personal decision with dignity.

About the Initiative
The “Arizona Abortion Access Act” would enshrine the fundamental right to abortion in Arizona’s constitution. If passed, this measure would ensure freedom for a person to make their own decision on abortion. This is a deeply personal decision that most Arizonans believe should be made without interference from the government.  
Arizona for Abortion Access Website  
Petition I-05-2024 Arizona Abortion Access Act 

 *** Sign a petition - Make a difference, one signature at a time! ***

The Arizona Legislative Session opens formally on January 8, but bills have already begun prefiling and we are actively organizing our advocacy efforts.  We will shortly begin analyzing bills, training volunteer lobbyists and preparing information for our members. The best way to keep informed of these efforts is to subscribe to the LWVAZ Advocacy Newsletter.

Advocacy Newsletter -- is generally sent weekly to subscribers during the Legislative season.  You can be informed of critical bills, our stance to oppose or support and receive suggested talking points.  Sign up at lwvazadvocacy@gmail.com

Request to Speak (RTS) – this is a wonderful, unique feature of the AZ Legislature.  Any member registered on the site can express support or opposition to a bill before a committee hearing, as well as leave comments – which legislators do read!  This is an easy and important way to become involved.  Training is offered and we will help you register for the system.  If you haven’t done this before – this is the year!  If you missed the December 3 session listed last month, no worries - there is another session in January

Register for the next RTS trainings:

Sun Dec 3, 3 – 4 PM

click the button below

Fri Jan 12, 5 - 6 PM