Did you get it this week? Your text from the Maricopa County Recorder’s office? The one that lets you know your ballot is being prepared? Don’t know what I’m talking about? We can fix that.
The Maricopa County Recorder’s office offers a ballot tracking feature that allows you to know the status of your ballot as it goes through the process of getting TO you and getting it BACK to the Recorder’s office. The text sent this week lets voters know that our ballots are being prepared. We’ll get another text when our ballots go in the mail on 7/3/24.
Then, when you return your ballot (by mail, drop box, or in person), you’ll get another text letting you know that it’s been received. The final text is sent when your signature has been verified and your ballot was counted. You also have the option to get future updates.
I know many of you use this feature but, trust me, you still have lots of friends, neighbors and acquaintances who do not.
Enrolling is easy. Just text “join” to 628683 and follow the prompts. Literally, that’s all there is to it. If you enroll now, you’ll get that text when our ballots go in the mail AND all the others to follow. Tell everyone you know about this. They’ll be grateful.
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Lengthy Ballots Full of Initiatives
This year may well be the year for a record number of initiatives on our ballots. Why? Because the legislature is doing an end-run around the Governor’s veto stamp.
Citizen initiatives require hundreds of thousands of signatures to get on the ballot. All the legislature needs is a simple majority vote to do the same. Katie Hobbs refuses to sign a piece of legislation? Just put it to a vote to get it on the ballot.
In what has to be the most egregious of these measures, the AZ Leg voted last week to ask us to vote to give up our right to vote. Chew on that for just a minute. I’ll wait.
The measure would remove the requirement to vote on judge retention - giving AZ judges life-time appointments AND would retroactively retain anti-abortion judges Clint Bolick and Kathryn King. EJ Montini wrote about this to great effect here.
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Vote on Day 1
All of us need to establish the practice of voting on Day 1 (or 2 or 3). Doing so allows your favorite candidates to more wisely plan and carry out their get-out-the-vote strategy. When you vote, your name is removed from the list of people who haven’t yet voted. This frees up your favorite candidates’ time and money to reach out to voters who haven’t voted yet.
Primary ballots go in the mail on 7/3/24. Vote on Day 1 in the primary and plan to do so again in November. I’ll be here to remind you. ;).
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Get Involved in Our Elections
Now, more than ever, it is crucial for each of us to step up and volunteer to support our elections processes. If knocking on doors or making phone calls isn’t your thing, then this might just be the ticket.
Everyone who participates as an election worker gives our processes and their role in it rave reviews. If you want to be assured that our elections are free and fair, there is no better way to get that than volunteering as an election worker.
Maricopa County needs over 2,200 poll workers and more than 530 temporary employees. The county also deploys over 800 county employees and has more than 30 teams conducting ballot hand counts.
Make a difference in your community. Go to getinvolved.maricopa.vote to learn more and to sign up.
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