How do you improve on Arizona’s most successful voter turnout campaign of 2022? Keep investing in rural and Indigenous communities, and get more Native organizers back in the field. This is exactly what we are doing. The Northeast Arizona Native Democrats have already hired two organizers to begin our civic education campaign. It’s no secret that Arizona will be the most hotly contested battleground state in 2024. Our team is key to holding the Senate majority and delivering our state’s eleven electoral votes to the Democratic candidate for President.
Turnout in sovereign precincts in Northeast Arizona outperformed the state turnout by nearly 4% points.
A quick recap: in 2022, only two counties in the entire state showed an increase in voter turnout; these two counties are Apache and Navajo, where increased turnout was almost exclusively on sovereign lands. This is the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats’ turf, and our voters out-performed state turnout by nearly four points. That vital margin protected the Senate majority and secured the top three elected positions in Arizona; Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General. That last, the Attorney General’s race, was won by just 280 votes. There is no question that voters on Northeast Arizona’s sovereign lands delivered that victory.
Lorraine and Casey in Back Village in January 2023.
Lorraine Coin (Hopi), and Casey Lee (Navajo), have both been with NEAZ Native Democrats since we started in 2020; and, as of January 1, 2023 they are back in the field focused on our voters. Like our previous ‘building year’ programs, 2023 centers on providing civic education and demonstrating the power that comes with engagement. With our civic education program, we are taking the time to show voters how their votes are making a difference in our communities. To help build that movement, this year we’re also diving deeper into the roles of tribal, state, and Federal government, and how those entities interact to impact our daily lives. Of course, Lorraine, Casey, and our team never stop spotlighting the power of Native and rural voters and organizing, and how community members can register and cast their ballots in person and by mail.
Our work is grounded in the communities where we live. Political campaigns that parachute into this unique and vast rural region a few months before an election struggle with engaging voters. This is not how we win. Our way, a voter-focused way, is to engage our neighbors and families all year through - every year - to build a network of educated voters who care about issues that affect them, ready to show up at the polls in 2024 -- and beyond.
We learned this lesson starting in 2019 when we saw so many gaps in how our voters were served. We knew we had a dedicated team with the talent, experience, and passion to organize more effectively with a year-round effort in Arizona. We have witnessed this work, growing our volunteer base, broadening our partnerships, programs, services, and in 2022 we saw what Native-led organizing can do: turn out more voters o sovereign lands. Every year we get a little bit better; and there is still more to do.
We are not powered by mega-donors. Our strength comes from people like you who believe in our mission, who support local, grassroots organizing and invest in Indigenous and rural talent.
Make sure Arizona stays blue in 2024! Pitch in today to keep our team on the ground working hard year-round. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/navajoconativeorganizing
Checks may also be mailed to: Navajo County Democrats PO Box 144, Lakeside, AZ 85929
Thank you for your support.
Missa Foy, Chair & Organizing Director
Navajo County Democrats
Northeast Arizona Native Democrats
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