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what state & local races should i pay attention to?
The Arizona State Legislature is a bicameral (two-chamber) body that makes laws for the state of Arizona. The Legislature is made up of members from 30 legislative districts (or LDs for short) from around the state.
The State Senate has 30 members––currently, there are 16 Republicans and 14 Democrats. The State House of Representatives has 60 members––currently, there are 31 Republicans and 29 Democrats.
Democrats have a chance to "flip the legislature" this year and have a Democratic majority to restore reproductive rights, institute commonsense gun control measures, fully fund public education, address climate change and water shortages, and so much more!
We need to either hold seats or flip seats in LD2, LD4, LD9, LD13, LD16, LD17, and LD23 in order to flip the legislature.
Arizona Corporation Commission
The Arizona Corporation Commission is a 5-seat body that is responsible for regulating businesses, utilities, securities, railroads, pipelines, and more.
Currently, the Corporation Commission has 4 Republicans and 1 Democrats. Several of these MAGA Republican commissioners have been instrumental in stopping the use of green energy and raising electricity rates for Arizonans.
So...if your electricity bill has gone up over the last year, far-right Republicans on the Corporation Commission are likely to blame.
We need to hold our seat (the current Democrat on the board is resigning, so this will be a new commissioner. To flip the Commission and give Democrats control, we also need to elect 2 more Democratic commissioners this year.
Mayors & Councils
Across the state, it is our local governments who make so many of the key policy and day-to-day decisions that guide Arizonans' lives.
In 2024, nearly all mayoral seats and about half of the city/town council seats will be up for election.
To ensure accountability for law enforcement, continued funding for parks, and win on local issues, Democrats need to bring home wins in town/city races.
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County Offices
In all of Arizona's 15 counties, nearly every county elected position is up for election. It is so important that Democrats protect and gain county seats in order to stop MAGA extremists from controlling our elections, tax collection, prosecutions, sheriffs' offices, and billions in funding each year.
Some of these positions include the...
County Attorney: leads the office which is responsible for prosecuting criminal offenses (essentially a district attorney or 'DA')
County Treasurer: collects and distributes taxes for the county, cities/towns, and school districts and invests funds
County Board of Supervisors (3 to 5 supervisors per county): manages county operations and agencies and manages county budgets
Others include the County Recorder, County Assessor, County Sheriff, County School Superintendent, and more.
School Governing Boards
In Arizona, most school policies are set by each district's governing board. Each district has a board made up of 5 governing board members (although a handful only have 3 members).
For decades, these unpaid, unnoticed positions were supposed to be boring and mainly procedural. However, in the last several years, far-right MAGA extremists have learned that they can field candidates for school board that in turn have banned books, taken away school counselors, stopped teaching sex ed, and brought in politically-charged curriculum in many districts across the state.
In 2024, 3/5 seats are up for election on most school boards, and though these positions are non-partisan, we must elect pro-public education candidates who will stand up for students, teachers, and families instead of legislating LGBTQ+ hate, banning books, and defunding our schools.
Ballot Initiatives
When our state was founded in 1912, we had a progressive government (believe it or not). These founders believed that the people of Arizona should have as many ways as possible to put checks and balances on the state government.
One way they made sure of this was by putting ballot initiatives in the Arizona Constitution. These initiatives are citizen-created laws or constitutional amendments which require a certain number of signatures. After a number of citizens sign onto these initiatives, they are put on the ballot for Arizona voters to decide whether to accept or reject them.
In Arizona, this has led to increases in the minimum wage, the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, given in-state tuition rates for Dreamers, and much more progressive change.
This year, Arizonans will enshrine the right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution via the ballot initiative.
How to Get Involved
In order to get out young voters for Democrats and change the political trajectory of Arizona, we need your support.
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