Suzanne Alliano-Rossick
With the November election quickly approaching, the PebbleCreek Republican Club’s latest meeting focused on election operations, voter turnout, and the many propositions Arizona voters will see on their ballots.
Featured speaker Maricopa County Supervisor Debbie Lesko gave members an inside look at election operations in Maricopa County, home to approximately 4.5 million residents and more than 2.5 million registered voters.
Lesko explained the distinct responsibilities of the
Maricopa County Recorder’s Office and Board of Supervisors. The Recorder oversees voter registration and rolls, mail-in ballots, and signature verification, while the Board’s responsibilities include in-person and emergency voting, election staffing, ballot tabulation, recounts, and other election operations.
Lesko reported that Republicans have more than 880,000 registered voters in the county, Democrats more than 709,000, while more than 914,000 voters are not party-designated. She also highlighted the popularity of early voting and reported that Maricopa County had counted 99.6% of primary ballots by the day after the election, with final results posted in six days. She emphasized the importance of voter participation in November.
Matt Wingard of American Majority continued the discussion with a look at modern voter-turnout strategies. He explained how campaigns focus on early voting and following up with voters who have not yet participated. Wingard said it can take multiple contacts through phone calls, door knocking and other outreach to encourage less-frequent voters to cast their ballots. American Majority is concentrating its current Arizona efforts in competitive Congressional Districts 1 and 6.
The evening’s final featured speaker, Johnathan Paton, representing the Arizona Free Enterprise Club, helped members navigate Arizona’s ballot propositions by providing a helpful guide to understanding proposition numbers and their significance.
Paton explained that propositions beginning with 1 involve constitutional amendments, those beginning with 2 are citizen initiatives, those beginning with 3 are legislative referrals, and those beginning with 4 generally involve local governments, schools, or other local jurisdictions.
He then walked members through propositions addressing vehicle-mile taxes, DEI policies, election procedures and voter identification, grocery taxes, drug cartels, women’s sports, photo radar, and public-school classroom spending.
Agua Fria Union High School District Governing Board member Eric Colton, who is seeking reelection, also briefly addressed members about his service on the board, Proposition 438 and the district’s new Hilltop Theater.
America 250: The Founding and History of Our Country
On Oct. 17, the PebbleCreek Republican Club hosted a special Bonus Meeting in the Eagle’s Nest Ballroom in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary. Members and their guests gathered for a video production created by Bob Wikstrom, exploring our nation’s history from its founding to the present day.
The program also included a question-and-answer session focused on Republican voter turnout, and the club’s Golden Ticket voter guides were made available to attendees.
Together, these meetings highlighted the importance of understanding the election process, staying informed about ballot propositions, and participating in the upcoming November election.
Remember to fly your flag!