Empowering Voters/
Defending Democracy
NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
 Scroll on down and find what interests you.
It Would be Ethical
to Have an Independent Ethics Agency

It's not that unusual for the AZ State legislature to be distracted during the legislative session by questionable behaviors of its members (for example, Scott Bundgaard in 2011; Paul Mosely and Don Shooter in 2018; David Stringer currently).

The Coalition for Integrity, which works to "combat corruption and promote integrity in the public and private sectors", notes that " Arizona has no independent ethics agency to provide advice on or enforce ethics rules for legislators, executive branch officials and other state employees -- one of only three states "that does not!

The Coalition publishes the S.W.A.M.P. Index (States With Anti-Corruption Measures for Public officials) which uses 8 criteria to score the 50 states on the laws and policies governing the conduct of public officials in state government.
A score of 100 is perfect; Arizona scored 28.

Read this short overview HERE, written for us by Laurie Sherman, Policy Adviser at Coalition for Integrity in Washington, DC.

Full report findings and analysis at http://swamp.coalitionforintegrity.org/#index

OUR DEMOCRACY
Say What??

The  Arizona Constitution  is the only one in the country that does not include explicit language granting the right to vote!!

Instead it takes a typically suspicious tact, saying "[n]o person shall be entitled to vote … unless the person meets the citizenship, residency, and age requirements.”

SCR2015 , introduced by Rep. Athena Salman, would add Constitutional language asserting that voting is a fundamental right and that every person is entitled to it, as long as they meet the existing eligibility requirements

SCR2015 also states that any law restricting voting must be “narrowly tailored” to further a “compelling government interest .” This would make voter suppression bills easier to challenge in court.

SCR2015 has not yet been read or assigned to a committee ! Contact House Speaker Bowers and ask him not to delay! [email protected] or 602-926- -312
They Can't Do It -- So Far

T he Census Bureau has been blocked from being able to pose the citizenship question on its form in 2020, although the decision is being appealed to the Supreme Court.

The judge's reasoning: Commerce Secretary Wilber Ross did not follow proper procedure.
A LOT OF REASONS!
“He failed to consider several important aspects of the problem; alternately ignored, cherry-picked, or badly misconstrued the evidence in the record before him; acted irrationally both in light of that evidence and his own stated decisional criteria; and failed to justify significant departures from past policies and practices." He also didn't give 3 years' notice, as required by law.

Full article from The Census Project Blog HERE.
For those who like cool graphs:
How Every Member
Got to Congress
By Sahil Chinoy and Jessia Ma
New York Times, Jan. 26, 2019

"The new House has a notable number of political novices, and more women and people of color than any Congress in history. But a majority of members, even the new ones, still made it to Washington by way of institutions and professions that are out of reach for most."

Read about it, HERE.
Report on the growth of the League's
Vote411 election resources site.

Over 5 million voters used Vote411 for election information - WOW!!
Data from over 500 Leagues following the November election showed that over 8,000 election-related events were held across the country and over 108,000 volunteer hours were spent on those activities. The real $ value of those hours is over $5 million.
EVENTS!
Try This Out

State Innovation Exchange (SiX) Tele-Town Hall
Monday, February 4th, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm MST.

Share your thoughts on the legislature. By joining the call, you will be able to connect directly with your representatives, and learn about how they are fighting for families and voters in Arizona. 

Ask questions, and give valuable feedback by answering live polling questions during our discussion  about how to defend your voting rights against attacks at the State Legislature! 

Speaking guests will be  Representative Athena Salman, House Minority Co-Whip, and Cymone Bolding, Executive Director, Arizona Coalition for Change.

Register HERE.
LWV Webinar briefing on the
"For the People Act (HR1)"


In Congress, this sweeping democracy reform bill would:
-- restore the Voting Rights Act
-- improve Automatic Voter Registration
-- finance elections through small donor matching funds
-- end gerrymandering
-- restore transparency in our government. 

LWVUS staff will provide an overview of the legislation,
detail what provisions the League is fighting for, and talk about grassroots engagement with Congress as well as opportunities to engage
at state and local levels.  RSVP here .

Then take action : govtrack.us/congress/members
Demand that Congress makes a bold show of support for our democracy
and the For the People Act .

6th Annual Civic Learning Conference
“What’s Next in Civic Education?
Preparing Arizonans for Civic Life”

March 1, Phoenix

Join the Arizona Department of Education, Higher Education faculty, Arizona K-12 educators, Arizona Civic Engagement Schools and others for a full day of civic learning. Highly topical and interactive sessions will focus preparing all Arizonan learners with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions for civic life, kindergarten through adult.

Keynote Speaker: Joel Westheimer 
University Research Chair in Democracy and Education at the University of Ottawa and author of What Kind of Citizen? Educating Our Children for the Common Good.

Highlights and more information, HERE.
West Valley Education Forum
A Moment to Act:
Investing in Public Education

March 14th, 6 pm,
Dysart Education Center
15802 N. Parkview Place, Surpise, AZ

Keynote Speaker:
Kathy Hoffman, AZ Supt. of Public Instruction

Co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Maricopa County, Dysart School District, and others.
Roadscholar Adventure!

As the League's 100th anniversary comes ever nearer (2020!), those interested in the history of the suffrage movement might like to plan ahead.


Women's Suffrage: Fighting for the Vote in New York State

Multiple dates.
Further information HERE.

Thanks for being
an involved citizen!

Please consider a donation to support our advocacy and education efforts.