Arizona has a well-documented history of legislation that creates barriers to voting. Arizona has no law protecting against election disinformation or a state-level voting rights act. Election officials face threats of undue criminal penalties and fines and are not protected against threats. The sanctity of fair and safe elections in Arizona cannot be taken for granted.
Did you know there is a crisis in youth voter registration in Arizona?
In 2021, fewer than 15% of 18-year-old residents of Arizona’s most populous counties, Maricopa County and Pima County, had registered to vote. For context, approximately 90,000 Arizona citizens turn 18 yearly in the state, and about 180,000 celebrated their 18th birthday between the presidential election 2020 and the 2022 midterm elections.
In addition to youth representation, Arizona is also facing major gender disparities:
Only two of Arizona’s eleven representatives in the U.S. Congress are women.
Women in Arizona aged 16 and older who work full-time, year-round, have median annual earnings of $38,000, which is 84.4 cents on the dollar compared with men who work full-time, year-round. Hispanic women earn just 55 cents for every dollar earned by White men.
While these are disappointing statistics, they are what motivates and drives our work in the "The Grand Canyon State".
Arizona ina historia iliyoandikwa vizuri ya sheria ambayo huunda vizuizi vya kupiga kura. Arizona haina sheria ya kulinda dhidi ya habari bandia za uchaguzi au sheria ya haki za kupiga kura ya ngazi ya jimbo. Maafisa wa uchaguzi wanakabiliwa na vitisho vya adhabu za jinai na faini zisizo halali na hawaelezi dhidi ya vitisho. Utakatifu wa uchaguzi wa haki na salama huko Arizona hauwezi kuchukuliwa kwa hakika. Je, unajua kuna mgogoro katika usajili wa wapiga kura vijana katika Arizona? Katika mwaka wa 2021, chini ya asilimia 15 ya wakazi wa miaka 18 wa kaunti zenye watu wengi zaidi za Arizona, Kaunti ya Maricopa na Kaunti ya Pima, walikuwa wamejiandikisha kupiga kura. Kwa mfano, karibu raia 90,000 wa Arizona wanageuka 18 kila mwaka katika jimbo hilo, na karibu 180,000 waliadhimisha siku yao ya kuzaliwa ya 18 kati ya uchaguzi wa urais wa 2020 na uchaguzi wa katikati ya 2022. Kwa upande wa vijana, Arizona pia inakabiliwa na tofauti kubwa za kijinsia: Wawakilishi wawili tu kati ya kumi na mmoja wa Arizona katika Bunge la Marekani ni wanawake. Wanawake wa Arizona wenye umri wa miaka 16 na zaidi ambao wanafanya kazi wakati wote, mwaka mzima, wana mapato ya wastani ya $ 38,000 kwa mwaka, ambayo ni senti 84.4 kwa dola ikilinganishwa na wanaume ambao hufanya kazi wakati wote, mwaka mzima. Wanawake wa Hispania wanapata senti 55 tu kwa kila dola moja inayopatikana na wanaume weupe. Ingawa hizi ni takwimu za kukatisha tamaa, ndizo zinazotuhamasisha na kuendesha kazi yetu katika "Jimbo la Grand Canyon".