The 2018 midterm election remains the highest midterm turnout in history, so it’s not surprising that this year, Arizona overall saw a 2.29% drop off in turnout from 2018. But, overall turnout in the precincts in Northeast Arizona’s sovereign lands (Apache and Navajo Counties) went up by 1.62%, which beats the state turnout change by a total of 3.9%. This increase in our 2022 turnout was driven by Democratic voters on sovereign lands. It’s also how Democrats earned the margin of victory in our tight statewide races in Arizona.
Why did voters on sovereign lands in Navajo and Apache Counties make sure their voices were heard at the polls this year, when no other counties in Arizona increased turnout?
Year-round investment is critical
Our team has a proven track record of success in organizing our community in 2019, 2020, and now in 2022. We’ve doubled down on what we knew worked in that crucial election cycle by investing in tribal and rural communities year-round and stayed connected with voters beyond Election Day 2020.
Overall turnout in the precincts in NE AZ’s sovereign lands went up.
Our tactics truly require deep and continuous investment. Organizing in our region is not easy. The vast distance can be a blessing and challenge. The area we cover for CD-02, LD-06, and LD-07 is about the size of Indiana.
Rural and tribal voters have other unique needs to take into consideration: post office boxes versus physical addressing, USPS mail delivery time, spotty phone and internet service, limited polling locations and dropboxes, diversity in language, cultures, race relations in towns that border sovereign lands, are among the challenges our team successfully overcome to reach our voters.
Some new barriers were placed in our way during the 2020-2022 Republican-lead state legislative sessions - barriers deliberately crafted to make it harder for Indigenous, Black, and Brown, and rural voters to cast their ballots. Based on their “Big Lie” about the 2020 elections, extremist Republican state legislators pushed a record number of voter suppression bills. This included bills meant to curtail mail-in voting, further complicate voter assistance and voter identification, shorten ballot curing time, further restrict county election resources, and more.
We faced all of these challenges and still succeeded in spite of their efforts to stop us, because we remained laser focused on intensively local community organizing. The success of our tactics can be seen in increased voter turnout in Navajo and Apache Counties, driven almost entirely by voters on sovereign lands - in direct contrast to the trend of lowered turnout across Arizona. Year-round, Native-led, voter-focused, local organizing works.
IMPROVING ON OUR 2020 PROGRAM
Northeast Arizona Native Democrats 2022 Field Team
Knowing the challenges we face is half the battle: the rest of the strategy is actually doing the work.
Family Votes Matriarch Program
A key expansion of our program in 2022 was the launch of our Family Votes Matriarchs Program. The program formally recognizes and supports the amazing work of Indigenous women in our communities who’ve been registering voters in tribal and state/federal elections and getting out the vote for candidates for decades. They have worked with us, other Democratic county parties in northern Arizona, and been campaign staff for a number of Democratic candidates going back 20+ years. Their collective efforts are astounding and utilizes close kinships that already exist within Tribal Nations. In fact, when these women get to work it’s not just them: they bring their families, clans, and community with them. It was a natural progression to provide a space and the financial support for this group of matriarchs. They deserve so much respect for what they do and not just in terms of voting or elections, but how they help their communities. They lead by example and are strong voices and advocates. It was only right to find a way to support them and help train the next generation of Family Votes Matriarchs. More here.
Deeper field investment
Our field operation expanded In 2021 and 2022, as well. We made key investments into hiring local organizers, broadening our partnerships, increasing our volunteer base, and integrating field and outreach efforts. This stronger, deeper infrastructure allowed us to reach out to voters more often and kept our local field organizers centered in every voter contact. We focused on a core group of 22,000 high potential voters, who we identified after reviewing election results and voter data in 2020. We believed that when voters were regularly engaged and given trusted information, that they would be ready and willing to vote in elections. We built a post-2020 relationship between voters and their local Northeast Arizona Native Democrat field organizer that brought them along with us through the Midterms.
Expanding our volunteer infrastructure
To accomplish this ambitious voter contact program, we had to figure out ways to maximize time in the field for our small team of local organizers, while working within our limited financial resources. This meant freeing up our local team from things like organizing phone and text banks, and writing postcards, in favor of letting them travel to meet with voters face-to-face. This is where our extensive network of volunteers from across the county, state, and country come in. Thanks to 2,600 volunteers we contacted our voters through more than 27,000 calls and wrote 167,000 postcards. We built a robust network of Native and non-Native volunteers across the country to support our programs remotely, with our local organizers’ contact information at the heart of every outreach. Our field team answered hundreds of phone calls and texts from voters who needed their assistance. It was efficient, and effective.
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
Building out the coalition
NE AZ Native Democrats & Navajo County Democrats Volunteers.
Our strategy and network includes Navajo County Democratic clubs White Mountain Democrats, Little Colorado Democrats and cross county partnerships with Coconino County and Apache County Democrats. This coalition work on sovereign lands is a project under the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats.
Recruiting poll observers and workers
Poll observers, workers, and county election volunteers have become a very critical component of our outreach efforts and not only for Election Day, but due to new election laws, we have to be ready to have folks ready to volunteer well in advance of Election Day and after. For example, volunteers were needed to help county elections with Logic & Accuracy (L&A) tests, hand counts to verify the machine counts, and for ballot curing. And when needed we need volunteers ready to assist with ballot recounts. So, our work doesn’t stop on Election Day. Most recently, for the ballot recount for the state Attorney General and Superintendent of Schools, we were able to fill 58 slots out of 60 within a 5 day window. That was 69 hour volunteer shifts to assist with the ballot recount. We are always thankful for our community members who trust us and step up when we need help.
Connect candidates to voters
More diverse voices in our county and state parties and legislative governments is a big part of our mission. Introducing candidates, recruiting candidates, and assisting candidates with petitions are other projects some county Democratic party groups may take on. We’ve been involved in a number of initiatives to help build a bench of Democratic leadership who will represent tribal and rural communities.
Ready to canvass. Kayenta, AZ, Navajo Nation
Organizer Highlights
Casey Lee, Navajo Nation
“We're still not done. We're still gonna make Arizona blue. I've been with this team from the beginning of 2020 and what made me concerned about the election then was how we were gonna get the word out to vote. So that's what got me on the trail to be a volunteer worker and become a field organizer. And after I became a field organizer, I decided to do a little more and become a board member and a precinct committee person. A bit of the field organizing work I do is assisting elderlies especially, and connecting with people just turning 18 or that haven’t voted and getting them registered to vote.
It’s been a challenge, connecting with people because of the covid mandates, back in 2020 to even now. This year some of the restrictions were lifted, but many are still in place and people are just being careful when out in public. We still wear masks and some tribal government buildings are not fully open. In 2020, it was scary because we lost some loved ones and it was, it’s been challenging. But we still went out there and went to the flea markets and met up with some people and candidates who came out, like Adrian Fontes, Lauren Kuby, and Tom O’Halleran. And on top of that, we went to small communities and we went to their yearly parade and fair where some of our candidates came out and walked through the parade with us, handing out postcards, shaking everyone's hand, and meeting folks. And Mark Kelly was there. We did about four to five fairs and it was really fun. Last year, I took on the role of being the second vice chair of the Navajo County Democrats) and now I'm serving as the first vice chair. I like this job. It's nice to work with this team, I love this team, especially Missa, Jaynie, and Eis. You guys are doing a good job and I love working with you. I appreciate you having me on this team. Thank you.”
Lydia Dosela, White Mountain Apache Tribe
“In our White Mountain Apache Tribe, we are made up of strong, powerful matriarchs and we have talked to them and addressed community issues. Many I’ve talked to asked, “how can we overcome some of these voting barriers?” Our people are known to look for solutions versus dwelling on the problems. So the solution they came up with is get out the vote early and help educate. The role of matriarchs is to be an educator and they took it upon themselves to talk to their family and register them to vote and recruit others and get their family members registered and to vote. So the family expectation was to vote. They wanted to make sure their voices were loud and clear.”
Lydia is a new addition to the team and is an incredible voice in her community. She helped center matriarchs in her home community of Whiteriver and extended White Mountain Apache communities. Lydia is one of our local experts, who created her own education materials, provided community presentations about the voter process and basic civic lessons. She also helped recruit over 50 matriarchs and their families to help register others to vote, educate, and get out the vote. The White Mountain Apache Tribe saw an increase in voter turnout in 2020, similar to many Native communities in our region, and the goal was to remain connected after Election Day. There is more work to do here and as long as we continue to support matriarchs like Lydia, we’ll continue to make more substantial inroads.
Lorraine Coin, Hopi Tribe
“I wasn't even registered to vote until I was in my fifties. All these years I've been really hesitant about it. I would sit and complain like everybody else and finally I told myself, why am I sitting here complaining when my vote could have counted. And, you know, maybe my one vote would have helped that person get elected. So I decided to do something about it and it wasn't until 10 years ago that I finally registered to vote and I registered as a Democrat. I went to work organizing to elect more Arizona Democrats and I've enjoyed it. I like visiting communities and talking to them about what’s going on while also stressing the importance of voting and elections. Plus, I get to encourage younger Hopis to think about running for office.
I am hopeful and encourage my community members to keep an open-mind, to be kind, and to look to the future because that’s where we need to be. I do this work because of my kids and grandkids and to make Hopi better. So we really need to be out there and be seen and heard. People in Arizona, even outside of our state, noticed what we as Native voters did in 2020 and this year, and what we are capable of. This energized us, while others got scared of us and doubled down on pushing more voter suppression bills to make it harder for us to vote. Some are targeting us and want to break up our Native voting power. This is where our work as local grassroots organizers is so important. We have to stay ahead and keep voters informed and engaged year-round. We are a powerful voting bloc, and we have to protect it. I want to encourage everybody to register to vote. It’s never too late to make a difference, Your vote really does count.”
Loretta Chino, Navajo Nation
Loretta is a powerful voice in her community of Tuba City and is a matriarch that gets things done. Chino is a fluent Diné speaker who has been registering voters for years and getting Democrats elected. She has big auntie power and is not afraid to use it. Even when experiencing health challenges over this past year this didn’t stop Chino. She rested, focused on healing, then got back to work. With the assistance of her family, other organizers, and volunteers she continued to lend her voice and presence to register voters, help with petition signings, setting up at the local flea market, and getting word out to the community. Thankfully through the Family Votes program we are working on translating and passing on Chino’s knowledge and expertise to the next generation.
Maria, Lucy, and Della, Navajo Nation
Della Wilson, Lucy Ben, and Maria Calamity are new team members and are all fluent Navajo speakers. The experience and knowledge they all bring is impressive. All three team members assisted and translated for the 2020 Census and helped get out the vote this year. Della is a mom and full time student who is doing all she can to help guide her children and provide as many opportunities for them. Lucy and Maria are also Family Votes Matriarchs and retired from working with local government agencies. This year, they set up frybread stands, attended community events, made home visits to keep voters informed, handed out education materials, translated information, and more. Their expertise has been a great addition and are key connections to voters and elders in their areas of Blue Gap and Chinle.
Marge and Brad Tsosie
Marge and her son Brad worked together to register their family members, extended relatives, and community members and to get them to vote. Marge is also a fluent Diné speaker and is well versed in community outreach efforts from her previous years working with local government agencies and businesses. Brad turned 18 years old this year and mom was there encouraging him to register to vote. He did. He not only registered to vote, but was helping his peers. This was Brad’s first time voting in an election. “I’m learning a lot. I’m here helping my mom and it feels good to give back.”
THE RECAP
Every Native and rural vote matters.
Success stories:
Family Votes Matriarchs
- Overall turnout in the precincts in Northeast Arizona’s sovereign lands (Apache and Navajo Counties) went up by 1.62%, which beats the state turnout change by a total of 3.9%. This increase in 2022 turnout was driven by Democratic voters on sovereign lands.
- Our 20k High Potential Voters
- Individual voter data is still months away, as are precise numbers for Democratic turnout
- Family Votes program established and expanded
- 20,000 votes cast by mail
- Native and rural voters delivered significant Democratic wins in 2020 and 2022
- Native and rural secured Democratic victories for the vital offices of the Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General; and, Arizona is sending a Democrat back to the U.S. Senate. We will also send Navajo citizens Mae Peshlakai, Myron Tsosie, and Teresa Hatathlie to represent Legislative District 6. In LD 7, Kyle Nitschke’s outstanding campaign built important inroads with voters and drove overall turnout. With Kris Mayes winning her race for Arizona Attorney General by just 510 votes, you can see every vote made a difference.
- Raised $200,000 for the 2022 midterm election year to hire 20 Native organizers and support the fieldwork
- Awarded our first significant grant of $75,000 for our Family Votes Matriarchs initiative
- White Mountain Democrats Picnicand community events drew over 300 Democrats across Navajo County.
- Increased voter registration, vote by mail, early voting, and the number of organizers in the field
- Open and transparent communication across organizers and county partners
- Spotlight Native voters and organizers across multiple news outlets and media
- Continue building strong partnerships and tapping into networks across county, state, and nationwide; Daily Kos, Swing Left San Francisco, Swing Left Santa Cruz, Bake Back Better, Vote Save America (Crooked Media), Turnout Progressive Project, and more.
MORE WORK TO DO
Apache County Challenges: precinct voting and vast distance between voting locations
Success: steady increase in voter registration and turnout in the highest Indigneous and rural area with very few polling places
Navajo County Challenges: The Sunrise precinct, there is no Department of Motor Vehicles on the White Mountain Apache Tribe and Hopi lands which makes it harder to get IDs in a timely fashion. More planning and travel will have to be taken into consideration. There is also a limited number of DMV offices on the Navajo Nation and community members cannot get same day IDs or driver’s licenses printed and have to rely and plan for mail delivery. Voters may visit their nearest bordertown to get same day ID printing but again voters have to plan for travel cost, distance, and time.
Success: impressive increase in turnout in sovereign lands precincts
Coconino County Challenges: Data is still not quite ready, and even then the data about voters on sovereign precincts is scant.
Success: the Coconino County Democrats sponsored an Indigenous organizer to help reach tribal communities in their county and worked directly with the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats team. This helped share costs and improved overall communication efforts.
Arizona:
Challenge: statewide voter suppression environment
Success for the future: targeted, precinct-specific intervention, centering local leadership, continue to grow the Active Early Voting List (AEVL), increase voter registration, reach high potential voters and younger voters, more fluent speakers of Diné, Hopi, and Apache languages, continue to build trust + influence
WHAT’S NEXT?
We don’t stop. We continue to do the work, center voters and communities, and keep building in 2023 for 2024 and beyond. It matters who in the White House, Congress, state legislature and county seats and Native voters in Arizona delivered significant Democratic wins in 2020 and this year.
We have a winning game and we’re improving it every year. Our investments are working and we’ll need to keep up the momentum and year-round presence. We have voting rights to protect, Democrats to elect, leaders to hold accountable, more community members to reach, and more organizers to hire and volunteers to recruit and train.
The last two years clearly shows every vote matters, every Native and rural vote is powerful, and these votes are directly representative of the people.
Introducing the new Navajo County Democrats Board and thank you organizing partners!
Key strategies:
- Continuity
- Native-led Local Problem Solving
- Local Voter Contact Team Success
- Tremendous support both financial & volunteer
STAY TUNED
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WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
Donate to help support our efforts and keep up the momentum in tribal and rural communities across northeast Arizona: secure.actblue.com/...
