‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌[link removed] [[link removed]]We fund voter protection!
Dear John,
Something beautiful is happening in the state of Arizona – and (spoiler alert!) voter protection made it possible.
First, a bit of background:
Back in 2019, the Arizona legislature created an “Election Integrity Unit,” with vaguely-defined powers. Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich took that authority as a license to enforce Arizona’s election laws against communities of color – intimidating and harassing voters in the process.
Brnovich used the “Election Integrity Unit” to target members of marginalized communities who helped their neighbors drop off vote by mail ballots – a practice made illegal in 2016, under an Arizona law that a federal court found was intended to suppress the votes of Native American, Hispanic, and Black voters. (The Supreme Court upheld the law anyway.)
And after the 2020 elections, Brnovich devoted 60 staffers and more than 10,000 hours to investigating claims of alleged fraud. Not surprisingly, his office found “no evidence of election fraud” – but he kept those findings a secret from the public.
Under Brnovich’s watch, election officials were subjected to a torrent of threats and harassment, leading nearly one-third of county officials to resign from office. And vigilantes staked out drop boxes to intimidate voters seeking to drop off mail ballots. Brnovich’s office simply did nothing.
That was the state of democracy in Arizona last year – but now, this story is taking an incredible turn.
Last year, Kris Mayes ran for Attorney General on a platform of protecting voting rights and restoring integrity and ethics to the Attorney General’s office.
Now, Kris Mayes is in office and making good on that promise.
In a beautifully symbolic shift, AG Mayes has repurposed the “Election Integrity Unit” to fight for voting rights and democracy.
AG Mayes has committed to prosecuting election deniers who harass and intimidate election officials and vigilantes who intimidate voters. She’s suing Cochise County to prevent the county from turning over full control of elections to a Trumpist election denier. And she’s committed to investigating Trump’s “fake electors.” (Hallelujah!)
But the best part of this story is the People Power that mobilized to reclaim the AG’s office.
Kris Mayes won the AG’s race on the very slimmest of margins – just 280 votes , out of 2.5 million votes cast.
And it was the Arizona voter protection team that saved the day.
They and their army of volunteers helped 3,400 Arizona voters have their votes counted. This not only secured Kris Mayes’s victory, but also helped bump Governor Katie Hobbs past the margin for a recount – providing a buffer against election subversion attacks by Kari Lake.
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Now, the Arizona voter protection team needs funding to keep doing the great work. They’ll spend this year mobilizing to advocate for voters, fighting voter suppression bills, and laying the groundwork for 2024.
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* Will you give today to support this critical voter protection work in Arizona? *
CHIP IN » [[link removed]]
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In Other News…
[[link removed]] PTV in Atlanta! We recently joined with supporters in Atlanta for a fundraising event with special guest Congresswoman Lucy McBath. Rep. McBath spoke about how the fight for democracy is key to making progress on issues like gun safety.
Big win for democracy in Georgia: Democrats in Georgia mobilized to defeat the appointment of Republican Lee Morris to lead the Fulton County Board of Elections, which would have flipped control of the elections board to Republicans (in the largest county in Georgia!).
Our colleague Saira Amir Draper helped to mobilize opposition behind the scenes. The Washington Post says: “Saira Draper, a Democratic state representative, declared victory after Morris’s withdrawal, calling his decision ‘a testament to Georgia Democrats and progressive organizations that understood the threat and worked together to apply strategic pressure and educate the public.’” Read more here. [[link removed]]
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PTV in Houston! We were joined by Mike Collier, 2022 Democratic nominee for Texas Lt. Gov., and friends in supporting voter protection in Texas! Mike encouraged everyone that the fight for Texas and democracy continues – “You can’t change the course of a mighty river!”
Kim is joined in this photo by Mike Collier and two titans of Texas voter protection: Rose Clouston (former Texas Democratic Party voter protection director) and Nicole Pedersen (head of the Harris County Democratic Party’s voter protection program).
We’re launching Blue Texas [[link removed]] ! Blue Texas is a grassroots community of small-dollar monthly donors who are committed to empowering voters! Half of each monthly donation to Blue Texas will go to support Power the Vote’s work fighting voter suppression day-in and day-out all over Texas. The other half is distributed directly to Democratic state legislative nominees after the primary. Join here [[link removed]] !
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Recent victories in Arizona and Georgia show that when we come together to fight for democracy, we win! Thanks for everything you’re doing to join in this fight.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter [[link removed]] , Facebook [[link removed]] , LinkedIn [[link removed]] , and Instagram [[link removed]] !
Jamil and Kim
We Fund Voter Protection [[link removed]]
In 2020, we ran the Democratic Party’s Voter Protection Program in Georgia, when the state flipped blue for the first time in nearly 30 years.
We pioneered a new model of voter protection, built on sustained investments and long-lasting relationships.
Now, we’re building on that success and adapting the Georgia model to fight voter suppression in other states.
CHIP IN » [[link removed]]
Paid for by Power the Vote
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