With our first newsletter and first LD3 monthly meeting behind us, it’s time to get back in the groove of news and events that directly concern us as an LD. Let’s get to it, shall we?
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PC Debacle at the Arizona Legislature
It started out simply enough. The legislature passed an emergency measure that went into immediate effect. The law identified an accurate number of signatures required for legislative candidates in each of the state’s new legislative districts. This was considered an “emergency” because candidates must turn in their signatures on 4/4/22. The law also waived the requirement that PCs be elected this cycle. Instead, PCs are to be appointed by the county party chairs. Read more about that here.
Democrats’ response to all of this was, “Well, nuts, a new set of guidelines to be implemented quickly.” The Republicans responded by throwing a fit and demanding that the legislature act to repeal this measure. Unfortunately, our Republicans in the legislature need Democratic votes to do so. Democrats aren’t budging.
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The Easiest Path to Becoming a PC, Ever
Now that there is no need to get 10 voter signatures to become a PC, the door is wide open to become a PC quickly and easily.
Ever wondered what a PC does? Find out here. We are the Democrats’ “boots on the ground” - informing, educating and engaging voters to support our candidates. Meeting like-minded people is fun and brings us closer together as a community of Democrats.
If you’re not a PC and wish to become one, complete this form and submit it no later than April 18th.
Are you a PC who didn’t get your petition signatures? If you want to continue as a PC, you don’t need to do anything. We’ve got you covered.
See? Easy. Learn what PCs do and how you can become one, submit the form at the link above and, boom. You’re done. And, thank you!
======================= Our First Event
Are you a PC in the former LD1? You are invited to the Anthem PC Meet and Greet on 3/24/22. RSVP here.
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Help Wanted!
To cover the breadth and complexity of our new LD, we’re gonna need a LOT of help - help from people like you.
School Board Outreach… School board meetings have become the right’s new battleground and we can help. We have 5 school districts in LD3 and each of them would benefit from our time and attention. We’re organizing teams of volunteers (and PCs) to take turns rotating attendance at school board meetings - once every three months. Your role would be to make positive public comments when you attend to counteract any negative/hostile comments from the “other side”. Want to learn more? Contact Andrew Scheck at andrew.scheckny@gmail.com for more information.
Field Director - To get out the vote across the breadth of our LD, we need to break down the geography into manageable chunks. We’re grouping precincts together to manage as a unit to reach as many voters as we can in 2022. We still have vacancies to fill. If you want to learn more about this, contact Susan Wilson at smwilson8888@gmail.com.
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Who Celebrates Being 48th or 49th?
Well, let’s see… The Arizona Supreme Court, Doug Ducey and Republican legislators for openers. From the actions taken by each of these - individually and collectively - their decisions represent a perfect storm for Arizona public schools. The most recent blow came in the form of Judge Hannah’s striking down the Invest in Education Act (prop 208). Read about that ruling here.
Arizona public schools consistently rank at the bottom nationally on things like per pupil funding, class size, and the number of classrooms without a permanent teacher (currently 1 out of 5). Our race to the bottom has us often competing with the state of Mississippi over which of us is going to be dead last.
Arizona used to have one of the best public school systems in the country. For more on the current picture, check this out.
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That’s it for this week - a mixed bag of ways you can help and opportunities to learn more about the educational issues that matter to all of us.
Until next week, stay healthy and stay strong.
Victoria Kauzlarich Chair, LD3