 We fund voter protection John, I want to tell you a story about Guillermina Fuentes – a 66-year-old grandmother, former farmworker, school board member, and local Democratic leader in San Luis, Arizona. Back in 2016, Arizona Republicans pushed through a draconian new election law that criminalized neighbors helping neighbors. Before that, it used to be legal for an Arizona voter to help a friend or neighbor turn in their absentee ballot. And in San Luis, that was a critical option for voters. You see, in San Luis, voting is hard. The San Luis community is poor – the average per capita income is about $15,000 dollars. Car ownership is limited, as are public transportation options. Many San Luis residents are farmworkers who work long days, so voting in person is difficult. But voting by mail is also difficult: San Luis doesn’t have at-home mail delivery. So, community members like Guillermina Fuentes often stepped in to help their friends and neighbors return their mail ballots. In 2016, Republicans targeted that practice and made it illegal, citing “voter fraud.” But a federal court found Republicans actually passed the law hoping to suppress the votes of Native American, Hispanic, and Black voters – voters who often rely on assistance to return their ballots. The Supreme Court had evidence that the law was discriminatory against voters of color – but upheld it anyway. And Guillermina Fuentes went to jail for the “crime” of helping her neighbors vote by mail. This is a deep injustice – and it is having a chilling effect on lawful voters in San Luis. But the story doesn’t end there. We can’t change the Supreme Court’s decision, and we probably can’t repeal this bad law yet (although Democrats are trying). But we can organize to support these voters. We can educate Arizona voters about this law, so that others aren’t prosecuted unjustly. And we can help voters in San Luis and other communities across the state overcome barriers to voting to cast their ballots. That’s the work we’re supporting at Power the Vote. We’re funding voter protection staff in Arizona to fight back for voters and help them make their voices heard.
And there’s another reason to hope. There’s a new Attorney General in Arizona (who won by just 280 votes in November!) – a Democrat who is transitioning the Election Integrity Unit from prosecuting voter fraud to protecting voting rights. As we look ahead to 2024, the work to empower voters is more important than ever, particularly in communities like San Luis. You can help make this work possible – we hope you’ll join us and support this work. In solidarity, Kim
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