We want to thank DailyKos readers for helping to raise $7,083 to help defeat Trump and McSally, by turning out the necessary Reservation votes to deny Trump Arizona’s 11 Electoral Votes.
The county recorders report we are getting a good stream of mail ballot applications, and we are running Navajo-language spots on Reservation radio to get more.
If you missed us last weekend, we could use some more contributions. No amount is too small, or too large.
secure.actblue.com/...
Thank you very much.
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Original diary from last weekend
Navajo and Apache voters are determined to deliver Arizona’s 11 Electoral Votes to defeat Trump despite struggling with the worst coronavirus outbreak per capita in the nation -- and they are making good progress.
Sen. Martha McSally (R-Hell) made the terrible decision to oppose virus relief support for Native Americans. The Koch Brothers PAC recently said they do not have enough money to save her, and Trump sees her failing campaign as an indication he will lose Arizona and the presidency.
With seven field organizers on the ground, we have the only serious campaign on the Navajo Reservation – the size of West Virginia – and the two major Apache Reservations – the size of Connecticut. We recently recruited more than 50 Native precinct committee members from the five reservation counties in Northeast Arizona.
We are working to ensure the Natives receive their ballots in the mail, so they can vote safely and in strong numbers despite the risk of the virus. The Republican Legislature blocked attempts to send mail ballots to everyone, but the county recorders sent applications for mail ballots to every voter and we are contacting all the Reservation voters to make sure they return their applications. In addition to phone calls and texts, we have purchased Navajo and Apache language spots on the Reservation radio stations.
We would like to thank DailyKos readers for supporting our work in the past. If you would like to help us get the job done, this is our ActBlue link.
Our campaign has to maintain a very careful balance between relief work and winning the election. The need is so great, with the virus rapidly spreading through communities which have no running water. The Navajo Nation has a virus infection rate of 2,304 cases per 100,000 people, compared to New York State with 1,806 per 100,000.
Our field organizers and volunteers spend about a third of their time helping the community, assisting the elderly in requesting food boxes, purchasing cleaning supplies, making emergency runs to communities without water and finding masks and gowns for the hospitals. We are currently working to deliver 1,000 gallons of hand sanitizer to the Navajo Nation. Community participation helps to strengthen the image of the Democratic Party and counteract the false perception that we only show up on election day.
But no matter how dire the immediate circumstance, we need to keep focus on the real enemy, Trump. He is not only a would-be dictator who threatens American Democracy, he is a particular foe of Native Americans.
Trump is losing Arizona (by 7 points in the latest OH Predictive Insights poll) but we cannot allow the slightest chance that he will recover. Without Arizona’s 11 Electoral Votes, Trump is completely doomed. McSally was losing to Democrat Mark Kelly by 13 points in the same poll. Daniel Garza, senior adviser to the Koch Brothers LIBRE Initiative Action PAC, told Newsweek the group could not afford to help McSally. “Contrary to what people believe, we don't have unlimited resources," he said.
One tack we take is to ensure that we have Native Americans on the ballot. Dawnafe Whitesinger turned the Navajo County Board of Supervisors to a Native majority when she won her race. Bernadette Kniffin of the San Carlos Apache Reservation is running for Gila County supervisor. State Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai is the minority whip, and Rep. Arlando Teller, along with Myron Tsosie, leads the charge for Natives in the state House.
After we spend several weeks on the mail ballot requests, we will turn to voter registration. We have catalogued the residents of the White Mountain Reservation so we know who lives there and is not registered.
This is a draft of a radio ad to be voiced in Navajo by Peterson Zah, first President of the Navajo Nation.
This is Peterson Zah and I have something important to tell to you now.
We are facing this bad problem with the virus, people getting sick, out of work and having to stay home.
I feel bad that it is so difficult for you and your families, the suffering of the sick and the many people we are losing.
We need to come together as a people to beat this thing.
Part of what we need to do is to vote in overwhelming numbers in the non-tribal elections in November, so we can elect officials who will honor the promises made to the Diné in Washington and Phoenix.
It could be dangerous to vote in person on November Third. We usually vote in person, but that could be hard this year.
You will be getting a paper in your mail that allows you to request a mail ballot.
Please fill out the paper and sign it when you get it so it doesn't get lost. Help your family to get their ballot requests sent in, too.
If you need the form sent to you, text 201 230 3457. That is 201 230 3457.
Let's be strong together and show Phoenix and Washington that even though we are under attack by this virus, we are a strong and powerful Nation.
Thank you for listening. This has been Peterson Zah.
Paid for by the Navajo County Democratic Committee.
Help us get the job done and get rid of Trump.