We’ve got about two months until Election Day. By now, you probably know a good amount about most candidates — especially if you read this newsletter. But you might still have some areas you need to know more about.
We’re wondering: What sorts of elections stories do you want/need to read before the November election? What haven’t you seen elsewhere that you think needs to be covered?
We’ll be monitoring the discussion as usual, so we’ll respond to y’all with links to stories if we see you requesting of coverage we’ve read this cycle. We read basically everything to put the newsletter together, so we’re happy to find you what you’re looking for.
And hopefully, you’ll help us get some ideas for needed coverage that we could maybe tackle ourselves.
As always, we expect everyone to conduct themselves with respect and understanding in this thread. Comment by clicking the button below!
I think you have done a great job covering the issues thus far. Here's one idea: Hearing that yet another cyclist was badly injured by a hit and run driver on 10th st/Indian School yesterday. What funds from the infrastructure bill are being dedicated towards improving safe streets in AZ and where do candidates stand on improving urban transportation/smart development?
Your "District of the Day" feature was helpful, but in reality there are only a handful of competitive legislative districts. I'd love a deeper dive into those contests. What are the politicos saying about those races? Can you get your hands on polling? What is the messaging on the mailers? How have the candidates pivoted since the primary? Can you find social media links the candidates are using to fire up their base or woo independent voters?
There is also the occasional race in a "safe" district that still has something interesting going on, for instance, where young activist Kyle Nitschke is energetically campaigning in a huge district where Wendy Rogers has a huge advantage (LD7). But I agree that more about the few more competitive races (in LDs 2,4,9,13, and 16) would also be good.
With regard to races like Kyle‘s, what was the Republican turnout for the primary? I’m wondering if there are enough GOP moderates  turned off by MAGA extremism who will just stay home. and if so, are there enough of them that we will see some upsets?
This is great to hear -- we're planning to roll the five districts we did for District of the Day in the general into a broader piece of those key races, similar to what we did rounding up the key primaries for the Legislature. Stay tuned!
Here's an interesting tidbit about the LD4 State Senate race: while the "debate issue" has focused on the governor's race, a number of legislative candidates have declined to debate, including Nancy Barto turning down a debate with Christine Marsh (according to https://www.azcleanelections.gov/arizona-elections/debate-information ).
I've been struck by how little advertising I'm seeing from "Finchy" Finchem's campaign, especially given how much funding he's supposed to have. The New Republic recently published an interview with Adrian Fontes which I thought was well done. I was relieved that he bested Mr Bolding in the primary. I like his background, skill set and , of course, his relevant experience. I'm also not finding much in the way of polling which seems odd.
I can't say that I fully grasp Katie Hobbs seeming strategy in avoiding Kari Lake. I would very much like to see the Democratic Party (Arizona) hype the Fontes/Finchem race and promote AT LEAST one debate. Fontes should be able blow all of these Trumpian lies that Finchem regurgitates out of the water, especially that nonsense of D'Souza's 2000 Mules which has been thoroughly discredited.
I realize some of this is off point (one of my residual specialties at sixty-six) but how fortunate is Mark Kelly with all of the built-in headwinds in his race to draw such a hapless bizarre candidate as he has in Blake Masters. If Lake loses, perhaps they'll run Masters for governor in '26 if he'd condescend to run.
Finally, my recurring wet dream these days (nights?) is that the democrats will sweep these races and empower those much-maligned RINOS to treat Ms Kevorkian-Ward to a one-way bus ticket back to Lake Havasu (along with her George Clooney look-a-like husband.)
I am struck by how much reporting and content that you and your partner are putting out. It is impressive. If you have time to read, though, I can heartily recommend Mark Leibovitch's
latest book, "Thank You for Your Servitude." It is at turns thoughtfully sober and quite hilarious.
Thank you for soliciting my input such as it is. Take care.
You do a terrific job! More on the insidious Fear For Money of the True the Vote & "Constitutional Sheriffs" (and hanger-on Finchem) and the Trump org (see also Sheriff Lamb's direct connection to Trump). Will they have another D'Souza film drop by November? Also the non-MAGA GOP and the move to oust Kelli Ward in Jan. How this cycle will dovetail into the 2024 races? Lastly, it's ok if Eli Crane GOP CD02 won't debate O'Halleran but bad if Hobb's refuses to with Lake? TYSM!
1) It would be great to know which public officials actually have leverage over the policies they're emphasizing in their campaigns. (If they're talking about policy.)
I understand there are 5 legislative districts that will be decided in the general election. I u Dee stand that the outcome will determine the make up of the state Senate. The state senate will make decisions on laws that will impact abortion and many other issues. District 4 in particular is a battle between teacher of the year Christine Marsh and sponsor of anti-choice legislation Nancy Barto. It is very difficult to find info on these 5 races that will be key to state laws. The mainstream media has only touched on it yet it will have dramatic state impact.
What unique campaign strategies are being tested this election (especially on local level)?
How are voters making decisions on this year’s ballot initiatives? Where do they get their information (nonprofit advocates, news sources, voter guide, etc.)?
Campaign finance information would be great - like what kind of expenses can be charged to the campaign war chest, what kinds of expenses are in the gray area, and what kinds of expenses are prohibited? When a candidate’s campaign fizzles, like he/she loses a primary, how is the money they’ve collected required to be used/reported? Maybe fire a shot across the bow of Schwiekert’s campaign by highlighting some of his known violations.
Current news stories are also about investigations into misuse of PAC funds. A deeper dive into these would also be appreciated.
Are there any candidates anywhere in the state of Arizona that would support/encourage open primaries, rank voting? I would be interested in learning how to get both on the 2024 election ballot.
Civic Engagement Beyond Voting has spent the last several months compiling data and writing recommendations, with the intent of helping voters make a more informed decision with confidence. Their 2022 Ballot Guide, Gavel Watch, and Voting Records of state legislators in competitive districts are here: https://www.cebv.us/2022-ballot.html
Put up a permanent page for each race, listing bullet points of things each candidate has proposed. In the Governor's race, I'd like readers to be reminded that Kari Lake proposes dozens of nuclear power plants all over the state, because of how inexpensive that would be. She didn't mention the potential NIMBY opposition to site selection. She also proses solving our water shortage by pumping water from the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, with no mention of cost, routing or right of way issues. A piece of cake, right? These two alone are disqualifying for their outlandishness.
Coconino Democrats have posted bullet points for state wide and local races on their website.  Hopefully, county democratic parties in the state have followed suit. Worth taking a look at their websites.
Judges is a good one. They seem to be getting more political and more in the spotlight, yet usually end up getting elected via passthru votes. Also, what's going on with the AZ Corporation Commission and where do candidates stand on the current and upcoming water wars? I saw a random tweet the other day that SRP is planning on making everything better by making everything worse? What's up with that?
Sep 9, 2022·edited Sep 9, 2022Liked by Rachel Leingang
Not much has been written about the power people behind the candidates; an article I would like to read and could use in my newsletter. For Kari Lake, Blake Masters, Mark Finchum, on the repub side. Mark Kelly, Katie Hobbs, on the dem side. How many staff? who are the few people that are the brain trust and make the real decisions? Who determines the advertising? Not so much on the funding which has been scrutinized. (although any surprise/closeted biggie supporters would be interesting and welcome)
Another useful article is an overview of the strength of the 'turn out' team the ground game of the parties and the candidates mentioned.
A third useful article could be an examination of Masters contradiction; of his major funder Thiel who is married to a man, and Masters' distaste and advocacy of hetro only marriage.
A closer look at Masters' changed position on abortion
Your suggestions/proposal on a format for a hobbes/lake discussion. Can't let Lake have an hour by herself.
Yes yes yes, this crowd is extremist; they’ve already succeeded in banning books, bullying gay and trans kids, disturbingly broad rights to sue over access to student records, and restricting sex Ed. They almost succeeded with gagging teachers, online teacher lesson plans, and the pre-empting schools with more ways to sue them for things they don’t “like”. They’ll always try again next year.
Agreed. And, while you are at it, check out 2 running for Scottsdale Unified School District. They get national media attention with their transphobic, teacher bashing, book banning, Turning Point loving views.
I agree with the calls for deeper looks at legislative races that will play a big part in leadership and make up. Please less polling and more policy. Legislative candidates have similar agendas, seemingly, but the strategies to implement those could be wildly different.
First of all you are doing a great job and I truly enjoy reading your emails every day. I would love to see more about the propositions that will be on the ballots. A true non-partisan report on the effects the proposition would have on Arizona. For instance I don't think anyone really knew the impact the paid sick leave portion of the increase minimum wage proposition would end up having on businesses.
I’m seeking accountability from Kelly and Hobbs’ campaigns for disengagement in crunch time. They both have made getting yard signs almost impossible. Neither is bothering with the most well known fund raiser, the Udall Dinner, and Hobbs is refusing to debate Lake, a strategic error. I would love to know what the hell they are thinking?
Why have so many candidates for Arizona offices been in trouble ? Ethics, flip flopping, criminal pasts, taking money from dubious sources etc. Where are the good candidates and future leaders?
Please explain how national organizations are contributing dollars in Arizona races. (RAGA, DAGA, DGA, RGA, etc.) How much ad time are they buying in the general & how legally it’s cheaper if the money is run through a state party.
I'd love to see if you guys can find anything out about the state of the races for House Speaker and Senate President. Obviously it will all depend on what the final numbers are, but is there any sense of how competitive these elections actually are?
It is really hard to learn about down ballot candidates. The national and state-wide candidates, you can generally learn about their positions, but state senators and state legislators are hard to learn about. Also, some educational districts. To be a candidate in AZ, they should all be required to complete information about who they are, what they believe, and what their priorities are. This has been an issue since we moved to AZ 4 years ago.
I’d recommend spending some time on the Clean Elections website because they do have a lot of this info. You can put in your address and get a list of candidates, bio info, priorities: https://www.azcleanelections.gov/voter-dashboard
Thanks, at the last election I was not familiar with Clean Elections, but I did search for down ballot candidates without much success. I hope we will be more successful this year. We got a voter guide in the mail but missed the "minor" offices. Did do a good job on ballot initiatives though.
FWIW and maybe off topic. I got an email yesterday from the Sec of State AZ which was the electronic version of the "2022 General Election Publicity Pamphlet". I have glanced through it. I am planning to vote by mail like always, but I looked at the required ID section for voting in person and I have no idea what the requirements are.
Is it just me? It is not clear. Is my AZ driver's license enough or do I need my birth certificate, passport, 2 utility bills, and a note from my mother so I can vote? I feel really dumb trying to understand the requirements to vote in person in AZ.
In my previous life, we walked into the voting center, said "hi" to our neighbors working as poll workers, signed the list (twice) and voted. Very easy. Now I understand why so many people feel the ID requirements are trying to disenfranchise us. Voting is a right, privilege, obligation, and very important in our country!
PS. It is hard for anyone to vote responsibly in AZ on election day in person. There is too much on the ballot. I suppose you could skip a bunch of races or choices on the ballot. I used to take pride in voting in person, but in AZ, I appreciate mail-in early voting because it leaves me time to follow up on candidates and ballot issues. I could carry a completed sample ballot into the polling place and copy my choices to the official ballot, but it is nicer to do it at hope.
Would like more on candidates running for LD16 and LD17. Also concerned about need for a lot more visibility of school board races where there seem to be a lot of "purple parents" endorsed candidates that are not friends of public education.
Will Hobbs be another Sinema? Will she run FOR democratic values or rely on the negatives of her opponent. Otherwise known as will we EVER have a democratic governor again?!
As an insider publication for outsiders one element that could be explored more are losing campaigns. Like the human said of that. You should do some q&a articles with candidates who didn’t make it through the primary, asking what they learned, their take on the general, what they did right & what they regret, and see if they’d share about the human toll of running for office. After losing they may be more open and honest, especially down ballot.
Comparison between what candidates say on the campaign website vs how they have voted or spoken. Judges are the hardest to rate. Any help out there? State and county level school board members running. Follow the money articles showing union backing, big pharma, major employers. How law abiding the candidate is. Thanks Carole
Ranked voting does not work- look at how skewed California’s elections are, and now Alaska. It does not promote at the very least a 2 or more party system. Very unfair-
School board election coverage. While really small in terms of overall coverage statewide, districts statewide are seeing candidates from the fringes. The organizing that took aim at mask mandates and school closures are continuing.
Stats on newly registered voters. Are women dominating the new voter trend in Arizona as they have elsewhere?
Same for new Independent voter registration
I think you have done a great job covering the issues thus far. Here's one idea: Hearing that yet another cyclist was badly injured by a hit and run driver on 10th st/Indian School yesterday. What funds from the infrastructure bill are being dedicated towards improving safe streets in AZ and where do candidates stand on improving urban transportation/smart development?
That’s sad news, John. City of Phoenix is asking for input on lane striping on Thomas between 48th St and 56th St as part of their re-paving project. One option is for marked bike lanes in each direction. Although vertical buffers are not in the mix, it’s a start. https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=XGm5lg5PvUKK37p1V2A0axBK1EtjUtdEgnOBTfL_GkZUQVc2RVFGT0gxVVFMRTJOTExPOVVJVlBIUS4u
Hi John -- I did see this story yesterday from KJZZ's Christina Estes that speaks to the city-level work on that front: https://kjzz.org/content/1808020/phoenix-approves-10-million-annual-plan-eliminate-traffic-deaths-2050
Your "District of the Day" feature was helpful, but in reality there are only a handful of competitive legislative districts. I'd love a deeper dive into those contests. What are the politicos saying about those races? Can you get your hands on polling? What is the messaging on the mailers? How have the candidates pivoted since the primary? Can you find social media links the candidates are using to fire up their base or woo independent voters?
There is also the occasional race in a "safe" district that still has something interesting going on, for instance, where young activist Kyle Nitschke is energetically campaigning in a huge district where Wendy Rogers has a huge advantage (LD7). But I agree that more about the few more competitive races (in LDs 2,4,9,13, and 16) would also be good.
With regard to races like Kyle‘s, what was the Republican turnout for the primary? I’m wondering if there are enough GOP moderates  turned off by MAGA extremism who will just stay home. and if so, are there enough of them that we will see some upsets?
Ballotpedia says Kyle got 16,193 votes in a race where he had no opposition; Rogers got 16,929 in a competitive race with Townsend, who got 11,749.
This is great to hear -- we're planning to roll the five districts we did for District of the Day in the general into a broader piece of those key races, similar to what we did rounding up the key primaries for the Legislature. Stay tuned!
Here's an interesting tidbit about the LD4 State Senate race: while the "debate issue" has focused on the governor's race, a number of legislative candidates have declined to debate, including Nancy Barto turning down a debate with Christine Marsh (according to https://www.azcleanelections.gov/arizona-elections/debate-information ).
More on the Secretary of State race. And continued vigilance reporting on the efforts of
Kelli Kevorkian-Ward et al., to engage in every manner vote suppression (and denial) every which way to Tuesday.
What more would you want to read on the SOS race? Like which elements of that election do you need more info on?
I've been struck by how little advertising I'm seeing from "Finchy" Finchem's campaign, especially given how much funding he's supposed to have. The New Republic recently published an interview with Adrian Fontes which I thought was well done. I was relieved that he bested Mr Bolding in the primary. I like his background, skill set and , of course, his relevant experience. I'm also not finding much in the way of polling which seems odd.
I can't say that I fully grasp Katie Hobbs seeming strategy in avoiding Kari Lake. I would very much like to see the Democratic Party (Arizona) hype the Fontes/Finchem race and promote AT LEAST one debate. Fontes should be able blow all of these Trumpian lies that Finchem regurgitates out of the water, especially that nonsense of D'Souza's 2000 Mules which has been thoroughly discredited.
I realize some of this is off point (one of my residual specialties at sixty-six) but how fortunate is Mark Kelly with all of the built-in headwinds in his race to draw such a hapless bizarre candidate as he has in Blake Masters. If Lake loses, perhaps they'll run Masters for governor in '26 if he'd condescend to run.
Finally, my recurring wet dream these days (nights?) is that the democrats will sweep these races and empower those much-maligned RINOS to treat Ms Kevorkian-Ward to a one-way bus ticket back to Lake Havasu (along with her George Clooney look-a-like husband.)
I am struck by how much reporting and content that you and your partner are putting out. It is impressive. If you have time to read, though, I can heartily recommend Mark Leibovitch's
latest book, "Thank You for Your Servitude." It is at turns thoughtfully sober and quite hilarious.
Thank you for soliciting my input such as it is. Take care.
You do a terrific job! More on the insidious Fear For Money of the True the Vote & "Constitutional Sheriffs" (and hanger-on Finchem) and the Trump org (see also Sheriff Lamb's direct connection to Trump). Will they have another D'Souza film drop by November? Also the non-MAGA GOP and the move to oust Kelli Ward in Jan. How this cycle will dovetail into the 2024 races? Lastly, it's ok if Eli Crane GOP CD02 won't debate O'Halleran but bad if Hobb's refuses to with Lake? TYSM!
what about the inter workings for an independent campaign like Clint Smith. How does he get on the ballot, primary, funding, etc.
Investigations of Katie Hobbs’ racism
I know nothing about how judges are selected and how to learn about them before approving them.
Judicial Review is a good source.
Wrong name, sorry. Here's a link. https://www.azcourts.gov/jpr/judicial-performance-reports
1) It would be great to know which public officials actually have leverage over the policies they're emphasizing in their campaigns. (If they're talking about policy.)
2) Relatedly: who has leverage over policies that Arizonans care about -- e.g., take the Center for the Future of Arizona's "Arizona Voters' Agenda" (https://www.arizonafuture.org/the-arizona-we-want/arizona-voters-agenda/#anchorEconomy) -- who can actually make a difference in a policy area where voters agree?
I understand there are 5 legislative districts that will be decided in the general election. I u Dee stand that the outcome will determine the make up of the state Senate. The state senate will make decisions on laws that will impact abortion and many other issues. District 4 in particular is a battle between teacher of the year Christine Marsh and sponsor of anti-choice legislation Nancy Barto. It is very difficult to find info on these 5 races that will be key to state laws. The mainstream media has only touched on it yet it will have dramatic state impact.
What is at stake with the Judges that we are asked to vote on whether to retain?
This is a good resource: CEBV Gavel Watch. https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1FgDc02IlHaQSbaylvpiIMjuyC4AgXsf61rCQXr4uN_I/mobilebasic
What unique campaign strategies are being tested this election (especially on local level)?
How are voters making decisions on this year’s ballot initiatives? Where do they get their information (nonprofit advocates, news sources, voter guide, etc.)?
The Coconino Democrats have posted a sample ballot including the ballot initiatives – check their website.
Campaign finance information would be great - like what kind of expenses can be charged to the campaign war chest, what kinds of expenses are in the gray area, and what kinds of expenses are prohibited? When a candidate’s campaign fizzles, like he/she loses a primary, how is the money they’ve collected required to be used/reported? Maybe fire a shot across the bow of Schwiekert’s campaign by highlighting some of his known violations.
Current news stories are also about investigations into misuse of PAC funds. A deeper dive into these would also be appreciated.
I just finished a podcast about Andrew Yang. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/people-i-mostly-admire/id1525936566?i=1000543919214
Are there any candidates anywhere in the state of Arizona that would support/encourage open primaries, rank voting? I would be interested in learning how to get both on the 2024 election ballot.
Jo - You can find information here about candidates that support ranked choice voting - https://www.voterchoicearizona.org/candidates
I'm also interested in how we get rank-order voting/open primaries.
I think the ranked choice voting issue will be something we cover after the 2022 election is over!
Can’t happen soon enough!!!!
Agree with Irene and Adam, would love to see a deeper dive into the handful of legislative races that will determine who leads next session.
And so appreciate the work you do, love reading this every day’
Civic Engagement Beyond Voting has spent the last several months compiling data and writing recommendations, with the intent of helping voters make a more informed decision with confidence. Their 2022 Ballot Guide, Gavel Watch, and Voting Records of state legislators in competitive districts are here: https://www.cebv.us/2022-ballot.html
Put up a permanent page for each race, listing bullet points of things each candidate has proposed. In the Governor's race, I'd like readers to be reminded that Kari Lake proposes dozens of nuclear power plants all over the state, because of how inexpensive that would be. She didn't mention the potential NIMBY opposition to site selection. She also proses solving our water shortage by pumping water from the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, with no mention of cost, routing or right of way issues. A piece of cake, right? These two alone are disqualifying for their outlandishness.
Coconino Democrats have posted bullet points for state wide and local races on their website.  Hopefully, county democratic parties in the state have followed suit. Worth taking a look at their websites.
Love this idea!
Judges is a good one. They seem to be getting more political and more in the spotlight, yet usually end up getting elected via passthru votes. Also, what's going on with the AZ Corporation Commission and where do candidates stand on the current and upcoming water wars? I saw a random tweet the other day that SRP is planning on making everything better by making everything worse? What's up with that?
I would like to hear about the direction that the newly elected governor would take Department of Child Safety.
Not much has been written about the power people behind the candidates; an article I would like to read and could use in my newsletter. For Kari Lake, Blake Masters, Mark Finchum, on the repub side. Mark Kelly, Katie Hobbs, on the dem side. How many staff? who are the few people that are the brain trust and make the real decisions? Who determines the advertising? Not so much on the funding which has been scrutinized. (although any surprise/closeted biggie supporters would be interesting and welcome)
Another useful article is an overview of the strength of the 'turn out' team the ground game of the parties and the candidates mentioned.
A third useful article could be an examination of Masters contradiction; of his major funder Thiel who is married to a man, and Masters' distaste and advocacy of hetro only marriage.
A closer look at Masters' changed position on abortion
Your suggestions/proposal on a format for a hobbes/lake discussion. Can't let Lake have an hour by herself.
Dig the agenda, thanks for the hard work.
I did not know Peter Thiel was married to a man. Thats an insult to homosexuality in my view
How about a story on the dangerous, extreme , dangerous Purple for Parents candidates for school board. See https://blogforarizona.net/purple-parents-hate-group-disrupts-school-boards-across-arizona/ This includes a Statewide slate card of all of their anti school candidates. ~Larry
I agree. The school boards are easily overlooked.
Yes yes yes, this crowd is extremist; they’ve already succeeded in banning books, bullying gay and trans kids, disturbingly broad rights to sue over access to student records, and restricting sex Ed. They almost succeeded with gagging teachers, online teacher lesson plans, and the pre-empting schools with more ways to sue them for things they don’t “like”. They’ll always try again next year.
Please look at Chandler Unified School District race, we have some P4P candidates.
Agreed. And, while you are at it, check out 2 running for Scottsdale Unified School District. They get national media attention with their transphobic, teacher bashing, book banning, Turning Point loving views.
The LD18 democrats posted a list of bad judges for whom to vote NO. The worst judicial candidates are listed here https://ld18dems.org/cebv-gavel-watch-2/
Thanks!
Like the thought of Judicial review
I agree with the calls for deeper looks at legislative races that will play a big part in leadership and make up. Please less polling and more policy. Legislative candidates have similar agendas, seemingly, but the strategies to implement those could be wildly different.
First of all you are doing a great job and I truly enjoy reading your emails every day. I would love to see more about the propositions that will be on the ballots. A true non-partisan report on the effects the proposition would have on Arizona. For instance I don't think anyone really knew the impact the paid sick leave portion of the increase minimum wage proposition would end up having on businesses.
We did have this last week: https://arizonaagenda.substack.com/p/not-just-candidates-a-cheatsheet
Thank you so much. I guess I missed that one 😃
I’m seeking accountability from Kelly and Hobbs’ campaigns for disengagement in crunch time. They both have made getting yard signs almost impossible. Neither is bothering with the most well known fund raiser, the Udall Dinner, and Hobbs is refusing to debate Lake, a strategic error. I would love to know what the hell they are thinking?
I am with you. What is hobbs hiding from and why does she think its a winning strategy? Who are her advisors?!
You do a great job! The comments below are excellent.
What would life in Az look like if Lake, Finchum, and Masters won? Will Az turn into a version of Gilead?
Why are there races without Democrats running?
With expanded ESA, how will the public schools get enough funding?
Why have so many candidates for Arizona offices been in trouble ? Ethics, flip flopping, criminal pasts, taking money from dubious sources etc. Where are the good candidates and future leaders?
Info on ranked choice voting. We need something — maybe top three like CA
You guys do a super job.
Jane Lynch
Great work Hank & Rachel! AZ Agenda is the best.
Please explain how national organizations are contributing dollars in Arizona races. (RAGA, DAGA, DGA, RGA, etc.) How much ad time are they buying in the general & how legally it’s cheaper if the money is run through a state party.
I'd love to see if you guys can find anything out about the state of the races for House Speaker and Senate President. Obviously it will all depend on what the final numbers are, but is there any sense of how competitive these elections actually are?
We’ll probably save this for after the election, but it’s on our list!
It is really hard to learn about down ballot candidates. The national and state-wide candidates, you can generally learn about their positions, but state senators and state legislators are hard to learn about. Also, some educational districts. To be a candidate in AZ, they should all be required to complete information about who they are, what they believe, and what their priorities are. This has been an issue since we moved to AZ 4 years ago.
I’d recommend spending some time on the Clean Elections website because they do have a lot of this info. You can put in your address and get a list of candidates, bio info, priorities: https://www.azcleanelections.gov/voter-dashboard
And their voter guide is extensive: https://storageccec.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/public/docs/793-All-Districts-Web-English.pdf
Thanks, at the last election I was not familiar with Clean Elections, but I did search for down ballot candidates without much success. I hope we will be more successful this year. We got a voter guide in the mail but missed the "minor" offices. Did do a good job on ballot initiatives though.
FWIW and maybe off topic. I got an email yesterday from the Sec of State AZ which was the electronic version of the "2022 General Election Publicity Pamphlet". I have glanced through it. I am planning to vote by mail like always, but I looked at the required ID section for voting in person and I have no idea what the requirements are.
Is it just me? It is not clear. Is my AZ driver's license enough or do I need my birth certificate, passport, 2 utility bills, and a note from my mother so I can vote? I feel really dumb trying to understand the requirements to vote in person in AZ.
In my previous life, we walked into the voting center, said "hi" to our neighbors working as poll workers, signed the list (twice) and voted. Very easy. Now I understand why so many people feel the ID requirements are trying to disenfranchise us. Voting is a right, privilege, obligation, and very important in our country!
PS. It is hard for anyone to vote responsibly in AZ on election day in person. There is too much on the ballot. I suppose you could skip a bunch of races or choices on the ballot. I used to take pride in voting in person, but in AZ, I appreciate mail-in early voting because it leaves me time to follow up on candidates and ballot issues. I could carry a completed sample ballot into the polling place and copy my choices to the official ballot, but it is nicer to do it at hope.
Would like more on candidates running for LD16 and LD17. Also concerned about need for a lot more visibility of school board races where there seem to be a lot of "purple parents" endorsed candidates that are not friends of public education.
More info on ballot initiatives
We had this last Friday: https://arizonaagenda.substack.com/p/not-just-candidates-a-cheatsheet
Let me know if there are other elements of ballot measures you’d want to see!
Will Hobbs be another Sinema? Will she run FOR democratic values or rely on the negatives of her opponent. Otherwise known as will we EVER have a democratic governor again?!
As an insider publication for outsiders one element that could be explored more are losing campaigns. Like the human said of that. You should do some q&a articles with candidates who didn’t make it through the primary, asking what they learned, their take on the general, what they did right & what they regret, and see if they’d share about the human toll of running for office. After losing they may be more open and honest, especially down ballot.
I like this especially as a post-November story, will keep it on our list.
Comparison between what candidates say on the campaign website vs how they have voted or spoken. Judges are the hardest to rate. Any help out there? State and county level school board members running. Follow the money articles showing union backing, big pharma, major employers. How law abiding the candidate is. Thanks Carole
Ranked voting does not work- look at how skewed California’s elections are, and now Alaska. It does not promote at the very least a 2 or more party system. Very unfair-
School board election coverage. While really small in terms of overall coverage statewide, districts statewide are seeing candidates from the fringes. The organizing that took aim at mask mandates and school closures are continuing.