Hello,

The Voting Rights Fund is proud to endorse Mark Robert Gordon for Arizona’s 1st Congressional Seat in 2026. Mark is a lifelong champion of democracy whose leadership and career have been defined by one mission: ensuring that every American can cast a ballot freely, safely, and with confidence.

Mark’s commitment to protecting voting rights is not theoretical, it's personal. For more than three decades, he has fought to expand and safeguard access to the ballot box across Arizona and the nation. From his early work designing voter protection plans in the 1990s to his recent efforts leading election protection operations in Maricopa County, Mark has built and defended the systems that make democracy work.

As one of the country’s foremost experts in voting rights and election law, Mark brings both the experience and integrity needed to restore public trust in Arizona’s elections and to protect election workers who have too often been targets of threats and intimidation. His record makes clear: democracy is his life’s work.

In His Own Words: Mark Robert Gordon on Protecting Democracy

“Voting rights and democracy are the foundation of a fair and inclusive society. They are how we show that every voice matters and every community counts. I have seen how confusing rules, long waits in line, and intimidation keep people from the ballot box, especially working people, young voters, seniors, people with disabilities, and people of historically underrepresented and marginalized communities. That is why I have spent my career as a voting rights attorney and advocate building and defending systems that allow people to participate with confidence, from creating early voter protection plans in the 1990s to leading election protection efforts in Maricopa County and advising national organizations on how to expand access and protect the integrity of our elections. Protecting democracy and ensuring access to the franchise is not a campaign slogan; it is my life’s work.

For me, this work is not abstract. It is about the experience during my teenage years of watching my father, a disabled World War II veteran and patriot, being assisted in casting his ballot by someone who came to the house to take his notarized statement allowing him to cast an absentee ballot long before mail-in voting became the predominant way of voting in Arizona; under more recent laws that seek to limit access to the franchise, that person who took my father’s ballot and notarized statement to the election center would be committing a felony. Decades later, but before such restrictive and ridiculous restrictions were enacted into law, and after over a decade of my work in the voting rights field, I found myself injured while out-of-state and needing someone to take my mail-in ballot down 4 flights of stairs and walk it 2 blocks to the nearest post office; that assistance under today’s voting restrictive Arizona laws is absurdly a felony act.

This work is also about whether neighbors feel safe casting a ballot, whether their vote is counted and whether they can trust the process that shapes their daily lives. It is about countering voter intimidation by a rogue sheriff whose deputies and personnel did frequent drive-bys of voting centers, and getting armed officers to stand down and disarm from their standing positions in doorways and next to voter check-in desks at polling locations. It is about increasing accessibility and championing curbside voting for voters with disabilities.

I want a democracy where barriers are removed, where election workers are protected, and where early voting, vote by mail and language access are strengthened so no one is left out. Safeguarding elections is how we keep faith with one another and it is the mission that has guided my professional life.”

Why Mark Can Win

Mark Robert Gordon is running to make Arizona a model of secure, accessible, and transparent democracy. His campaign is built on the belief that defending voting rights is a patriotic duty.

Arizona has been at the center of national debates over election integrity and access. With a background in election law, Mark brings credibility that transcends party lines and resonates with voters who want elections to be fair, efficient, and trustworthy.

Mark’s authenticity, lifelong dedication, and unwavering defense of democracy make him uniquely positioned to win. His vision, which balances voting security and access, is exactly what Arizona needs to restore faith in the democratic process.

The Office and the Stakes

The 1st Congressional Seat in Arizona is one of the most contested every cycle, and this year it has been catapulted to national attention. Incumbent David Schweikert’s run for governor has left the seat open and turned a +1R seat into the most contested seat in the country.

The next member of Congress to represent this district must be someone who not only understands the pressing threat to democracy at this moment but also has spent a lifetime defending it from those who would undermine it.

Mark Robert Gordon is that person. His experience, integrity, and commitment to inclusion set him apart and his victory will be essential to protecting democracy in Arizona and beyond.

Chip in to help us fight for Mark Robert Gordon and other voting rights advocates this election cycle:

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