The League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Phoenix invites you (our supporters) to help prepare voters for the 2024 elections.  

Preparing for the 2024 elections involves a range of activities that vary depending on your role and perspective. Whether you are a voter, an election official, or an activist, here is a list of some key activities the League has planned in preparation for the 2024 elections. We invite you to join the League and participate in our work. Ask how you can help in any of these activities by emailing us at infolwvmp@gmail.com.  

Informing voters - VOTE411.org is the online voter guide provided by the League of Women Voters. It is designed to help voters access important information related to elections, candidates, and the voting process. Vote411.org offers a variety of services and resources to assist voters in making informed decisions at the ballot box. In addition, local league members help provide comprehensive information about upcoming elections, including the dates, polling locations, and ballot measures that will be on the ballot. We also need help developing questions for candidates running for various offices. They include these questions in their online profiles listing their positions on key issues, biographical information, and contact details.  

In these hyper-partisan times, the League continues its century of non-partisan work to conduct fair and balanced debates. We believe that the voters are best served when all candidates have the opportunity to inform and educate the voters. Beginning in summer of 2024, the League will be hosting candidate debates and forums on issues and ballot measures.

Election security and integrity - Ensuring safe and secure elections in 2024 is paramount to maintain the integrity of the democratic process. The League is committed to defending democracy and empowering voters. We urge you to volunteer as an election protection observer, become a poll worker and help us recruit poll workers to work the polls or at the tabulation centers. Let's make sure every eligible voter can vote and that every legitimate vote is counted!

Expanding the franchise - Help us energize the youth vote. We need volunteers to help with our work in schools and colleges. We are also working to expand the franchise for formerly incarcerated individuals to restore their right to vote. Join us in our criminal justice work in restoration of voting rights and jail-based voting.  

Fighting mis/ dis-information - It all starts with each one of us. Join the league in ensuring that we are sharing accurate information about the election processes and the results.  Watch for our podcasts to spread accurate information about our elections.

We urge you to join us at our education events, stop by our tables at events. Join us as a member or just share the information we provide.  

Warm regards,

Pinny Sheoran

LWVMP President

On Wednesday, September 21st, the LWVMP Criminal Justice Issues Team hosted a community conversation, “Barred From Voting:  The Effort to Restore Voting Rights for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals”.  You can watch the presentation here.

•   24 million Americans have felony convictions 

•  5-6 million Americans cannot vote because of felony disenfranchisement 

•  8 states create conditions that have financial obligations tied to being able to get ones voting rights restored:  AZ, AL, GA, TX, FL, TN, CT, WA 

•  4.8% of AZ voting age population are disenfranchised

•  Black Arizonans are disenfranchised at 4x the rate of our state population

•  People who are allowed to participate fully in society are less likely to return to jail.

Unlike other states, the restoration of voting rights for individuals with felony convictions in Arizona can be complex. The specific barriers may vary based on the type of felony and the individual's circumstances. 

Two speakers shared their stories about the barriers people face trying to restore their civil rights: Kat Jutras, LWVMP Criminal Justice Issues Team Co-Lead and a managing partner of  F.R.E.E. Arizona  and Dana Burns, Executive Director and founder of A Permanent Voice.  

In Arizona, 240,000 community members are disenfranchised - 26,914 Black Arizonans and 77,833 belong to the Latinx community (7.3% of our Latino voting age population). If an individual has a single felony and is able to pay their fines, fees and restitution, their civil rights are automatically restored.  

If there is more than 1 felony conviction, the process is not automatic and difficult to navigate. Information, support and resources are scarce, and the process is different county to county. These systemic, financial and informational barriers keep tens of thousands of Arizonans from having their voice heard at the ballot box. Nor can they serve on juries, run for office or obtain some business licenses. 

Dana Burns has suffered trauma from an abusive relationship, was incarcerated and a resident of tent city.  She was tired and wanted her life back and a better life for her daughter.  Dana re-enrolled in school and earned multiple degrees including a Masters of Ed.degree. She also wanted something more that she has been unable to achieve:  restoration of her voting rights.  

Dana reached out to Kat Jutras and discovered that she owed $30,000 in restitution and that has prevented her from fully participating in society even though her conviction was over 20 years ago. Dana has had to navigate the system in her own way to ensure that her voice is heard. Having learned the way, she now helps others reclaim their civil rights, supports those who have been traumatized by the system and offers resources to help people in her South Phoenix community thrive.  Her story is just one of thousands in Arizona.

Even though there have been a few small legislative fixes, Arizona laws on this issue date back to 1910.  Arizona is one of a handful of states that have tied financial obligations to voting rights restoration.  Additionally, our state allows these restitution cases to be sent to 3rd party collections who can charge 17% compounded interest every year on the amount owed.  

For example, in 2019 an individual owed $56,000. In 2023 the amount owed is now almost $100,000. This is a life-long punishment for people trying to reclaim their lives.  Even if an individual has paid their debts, it can take 6-8 months to restore their rights and the final decision is up to a judge’s discretion.   

What can we do to break down these systemic barriers and help people reclaim their civil rights?  Please reach out to your state legislators and ask that they work to remove the financial obligation requirement, streamline the process so that it is uniform throughout the state and provide assistance to those who are navigating the process. 

And finally, please check out the Restoration of Voting Rights page on the LWMP website. These items are funded through the LWVUS Formerly Incarcerated Grant Program.  

Why Working the Polls Matter! Recruitment of Poll workers

Join LWV Arizona and All Voting is Local for a conversation with Elections Directors from Maricopa, Pima, Coconino and Yavapai counties about the importance of election workers and their role in ensuring our elections are safe, secure and accessible for all Arizona voters.

By collaborating with county election officials, these poll worker recruitment events support our joint mission of defending democracy, amplifying our unwavering efforts to restore and strengthen the voters' confidence in our elections, and increasing and diversifying voter participation and elections workers. We want to use our resources to amplify the work of Arizona’s counties elections departments and support the needs they have. League members 

Sept 30, 1-3 pm  Join LWVAZ and AVL for a conversation with  Yavapai County Elections director Laurin Custis and Maricopa County Elections Administrators Scott Jarrett and Betty Gallanter.  Register now!

Oct 21, 1-3 pm  Join LWVAZ and AVL for a conversation with Coconino County Elections director Eslir Musta and his team and Pima County Elections Director Constance Hargrove.  Register Now!

The Time is Now:  Abortion Rights on the Ballot

The League of Women Voters continues to fight for women's reproductive rights, freedom, and justice, and we will not give up until our fundamental right to control our bodies and access abortion healthcare are enshrined in the Arizona Constitution.  

The League of  Women Voters of Arizona has joined the Arizona for Abortion Access campaign as part of a coalition of field organizations to reach this goal.  Join the League and help us gather the signatures needed to help ensure that the Arizona for Abortion Access citizens initiative will be on the ballot in November 2024. 

Arizona for Abortion Access is a coalition of reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations working to ensure Arizonans can make the decisions that are best for them and their families — free from government interference. This ballot Initiative is sponsored  by the ACLU of Arizona, Affirm Sexual and Reproductive Health, Arizona List, Healthcare Rising Arizona, Reproductive Freedom for All Arizona (formerly NARAL), and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona.

The legislature and the courts continue to attack our freedom to make decisions about our reproductive healthcare. The current law limits the right to an abortion at no later than 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest. An ongoing Arizona Supreme Court case could further restrict our fundamental human rights to make decisions about our bodies by reinstating an 1864  territorial era to a near-total ban on abortion.

Voters deserve the chance to tell the legislature their restrictive, unfair laws do not represent the will of the people.  Ninety percent of Arizonans believe abortion should remain legal and the government should not regulate women’s bodies.  We must take action to ensure this personal decision is in the hands of the patient and healthcare provider, not the government!

Join us to help make this goal a reality. Email LWVArizona@gmail.com to volunteer for signature collection, training, to pick up petitions,. We encourage you to stay up to date on our tireless work to accomplish this long-sought-after goal.

For more information:   Arizona Abortion Access website: https://arizonaforabortionaccess.org   Petition 1-05-2024  https://apps.arizona.vote/electioninfo/IRR/47

On September 13, LWVMP hosted a virtual forum during which participants heard and viewed an excellent presentation entitled “Priced Out: Why Housing is No Longer Affordable in 2023”. The presenters were Sarah Liguori of the Arizona Community Foundation and Katie Gentry of the Maricopa Association of Governments. The session was arranged as part of the work of our Housing Study Committee, which is conducting the two-year Public Policy Position study on housing authorized by the LWVMP membership at the 2023 Annual Meeting. 

The key takeaways, as highlighted on the slide below, are: 

• Housing prices (for both for rental and purchase) have increased dramatically in recent years, vastly exceeding increases in wages and salaries, and are likely to remain high

• We need to build more housing to bring supply into balance with demand and moderate upward price pressures 

• Dramatic declines in prices are unlikely and this means that wages and salaries need to increase to support the new normal in housing prices

• We need to work to restore the ability for younger households to move into housing ownership when they want to do so

• Regulatory changes are needed to allow building denser and smarter (less sprawl) and reduce other cost barriers.

Conclusion: There is no single solution--a multi-faceted approach is essential. A video of the forum session is available here.