Produced by the Legislative Committee of the Coconino County Democratic Party and Democrats of the Red Rocks
A. OPTIONS FOR ACTION TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY: Did you participate in any of the public vigils or other demonstrations for democracy on January 6th, the anniversary of the insurrection at the US Capitol attempting to stop certification of President Biden’s election? This is a key time to express our support publicly for the special commission investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021. Make a brief call to Rep. O’Halleran to make your continuing interest in this issue clear. Use your social media account(s) to let your friends and connections know – we don’t accept the Big Lie about the outcome of the presidential election, and we cannot tolerate elected officials who choose to ignore the results of a free, fair election. (Because many of these people, including several Arizona lawmakers, are running for election or re-election this fall, we need to make it clear that this refusal to abide by democratic norms should disqualify them for elected office.)
Sample message: “Democracy, and the ability for citizens to choose their leaders through fair elections, is the very foundation of what is special about the United States. I’m in full support of the special commission in the US House of Representatives that is investigating the people and events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 violent insurrection at the US Capitol. We must all be on guard to be sure these events are not repeated. And we should not tolerate officials who refuse to abide by the outcome of our free and fair elections. We are paying attention to those Arizona lawmakers who are damaging our democracy!”
Rep. O’Halleran: Call (202) 225-3361 (DC) or (928) 286-5338 (Flagstaff), Email via his website at https://ohalleran.house.gov/contact, or tag the Congressman at @RepOHalleran
B. PREPARE FOR THIS YEAR’S STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION!
a. Learn about the Request to Speak system and sign up for RTS training or a refresher on using this easy on-line tool for registering your opinion on bills being considered in our state legislature: https://www.cebv.us/rts.html
b. Sign yourself up for RTS, or check that your account is still working, change your password, etc. — tinyurl.com/rtssignmeup
c. Put the contact information for your state Senator and Representatives where it will be close at hand (check that information here: https://www.azleg.gov/ )
d. Register to get the weekly state legislative updates (the Iyer Report) directly: https://www.cebv.us/inform.html Note that the Coconino County Democratic Party Legislative Committee bases much of its weekly legislative alerts on this report, so you may not need to receive both.
C. PREPARE FOR FALL ELECTIONS IN OUR NEW LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS
As most of you know, the Independent Redistricting Commission has completed the bulk of its work and new boundaries for both congressional and legislative districts have been drawn. Here in northern Arizona, we will be in CD 2 and the district is much less balanced (i.e., more Republican-leaning) than the current CD 1; Congressman O’Halleran has already stated his intent to run again, but he will likely face a different suite of challengers. Meanwhile boundaries, district numbers, splits within cities and counties, and partisan balance have all changed considerably in our legislative districts. Go to the IRC website to look at the new maps (you can zoom in to see your location more precisely) — https://redistricting-irc-az.hub.arcgis.com/pages/final-draft-maps And start paying attention to news about which incumbents and challengers will be filing to run in which districts!
D. Assistance in preparing for the AZ Legislature session that starts this Monday, January 11, 2022:
- Weekly RTS trainings from CEBV online through the end of Feb or so, Monday evenings at 5:30 pm. Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwuf-6grDIvHNUr5eI8ZjJUdIfvpfJHkf4B
- CEBV is starting up Happy Hours this Sunday Jan 9 with a Legislative Preview, 4 pm every Sunday as before. Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkfu2rrTssHtYaSz9OS0ZB4eTepH4cqIod
- Sign up for CEBV mailing list here:
https://secure.everyaction.com/J0eeRFWxbEeE9fiySEM-Og2
- To sign up for the new CEBV in-person lobbying assistance at AZ Legislature Committee meetings contact Laura Terech at: