Hey all, here are a few things worth knowing about this week:

The July 21 primary is just 16 days out. If you haven't looked at who's on your ballot yet, there are voter guides pinned at the top of the sub.

Want to help protect the vote? Election Protection AZ is running a poll monitor training July 8 at 5:30pm with Indivisible Rimrock in Lake Montezuma (Verde Valley). Same day, Desert Democracy is writing "remember to vote" postcards to CD-01 voters starting at 11:30am in Phoenix — open seat, no incumbent, big opportunity.

Saturday July 11 is a big one: the Arizona AFL-CIO kicks off its Labor 2026 campaign in Phoenix at 9:30am, and LUCHA holds Congreso del Pueblo (the People's Congress) at 3pm in Phoenix to get communities ready for the primaries.

On the ICE front: Desert Democracy rallies directly across from the Phoenix ICE Field Office July 9 at 7:30am, NDLON's ICE Out of Home Depot protest is July 11 at 9am in Phoenix, and Mesa Valley Indivisible is out July 11 at 9am in Mesa.

Public school supporters: Save Our Schools AZ has a Gen Z-led canvass in Scottsdale July 9 at 4:30pm that starts with an ice cream social, and LD13 folks will be at the Chandler Unified board meeting July 8 at 6:30pm.

Full newsletter and statewide event calendar: https://azadvocacyhub.ghost.io/sunburnt-stubborn-arizonas-weekly-activism-roundup-july-5-11-2026/

As always, hope to see y'all out there!

p.s. I have been playing around with the calendar filters and functionality since there are over 100 events each week. Let me know what thoughts, especially if you think there could be improvements: Weekly Event Calendar

edit - ty for the award kind person.

Act: Click, personalize and send: FFRF Action Fund | TAKE ACTION: Keep a religious veto out of the annual defense bill

TLDR: An amendment to the military budget has been proposed that would:

1. Allow military chaplains to refuse more duties, like refuse service to a LGBTQ member or member of another religion (The foundation of professional chaplaincy is caring for everyone nonjudgmentally.)
2. Shields military chaplains from consequences of their behavior.

Our military members deserve better.

More information: A radical Texas congressman is using the annual defense bill to hand military chaplains a blanket religious veto over their duties and to shield them from any consequence for pushing religion on the troops they're meant to serve. The full House is about to vote on it.

 Rep. Keith Self has attached Amendment 237 to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the must-pass bill that funds the military every year. His proposal couldn't pass as a standalone bill, so he's pushing it through as part of legislation that Congress can't easily vote down. It has cleared the House Rules Committee and is headed for a floor vote.

 The amendment does two things. First, the amendment expands and entrenches a chaplain's ability to refuse duties that conflict with their beliefs. Chaplains already have conscience protections under current Pentagon policy, but the amendment goes far more broadly. Conscience protections would apply to any “task or action,” allowing chaplains to decline to counsel or refer a service member whose identity or choices they disapprove of, leaving those service members with nowhere to turn. Second, the amendment shields a chaplain's preaching and conduct from “censorship, undue restriction, or fear of retribution,” and makes any service member who interferes subject to court-martial.

Please take action and urge your representative to vote no on Amendment 237 and keep it out of the NDAA.

Hey all - in light of the Supreme court allowing discrimination against trans-girls/women in sports, I wanted to share some resources and local organizations working to support and advocate for our transgender friends, family, and neighbors. If you need help, consider these orgs. If you want to help advocate, and fight back, then please consider volunteering:

- PFLAG: https://pflag.org/findachapter/
- One-N-Ten: https://onenten.org/lgbtq-programs/
- Trans-spectrum: https://tsaz.org/
- Queer Center AZ: https://queercenteraz.org

Trans rights are human rights. Trans people have always existed. You belong!!!

News Source: https://www.kjzz.org/politics/2026-07-01/how-the-u-s-supreme-court-ruling-on-girls-sports-affects-this-arizona-case

https://open.substack.com/pub/hrnews1/p/450-combined-years-in-federal-prison?r=1t17zr&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

This is amazing. So proud of the non-existent city’s residents right now. 💕💕💕 I didn’t even know this was an option!

Hi all - Ballots have been mailed and early voting has begun! If you want to do some homework before you fill out your ballot, here are a few guides:

• Blue Voter Guide (https://bluevoterguide.org) - lets you filter by which orgs and groups have endorsed each candidate. Good way to see who's backed by PACs versus grassroots and community orgs.
• Progressive Voters Guide (https://progressivevotersguide.com/arizona) - Endorsements and info from the awesome people over at Progress Arizona.
• Citizens Clean Elections Voter Education Guide (https://azcleanelections.gov/voter-education-guide) - the official state guide, has candidate statements direct from the candidates themselves. Good for cross-checking what they're claiming against what the other guides say about their record.
• Ballot Measures: https://azmirror.com/briefs/arizona-voters-will-decide-10-gop-backed-ballot-measures-in-november-on-schools-elections-taxes/
• Last link!! For general election info: https://azsos.gov/elections

Happy Voting!

Edit: ty for the award!

Edit 2: Adding more guides.

- LD 5/Encanto: https://evoterra.me/az-2026-primary-voting-guide

For sharing outside of Reddit: https://evoterra.me/az-2026-primary-voting-guide

Arizonans are among the worst when it comes voting in primary elections. In the 2024 primaries,

• 7 out of 10 registered voters in AZ could't be bothered to cast ballots

• 51.6% of registered Republicans
voted

• 43.6% of registered Democrats
voted

Voters affiliated with or who requested a ballot for the Democratic party cast 225,000 ballots less than MAGA-infested Republican Loyalists, which is insane, after everything they witnessed from 2016–2020. But apathy is a a hell of a drug.

Politics as usual counts on that never changing. We need to wake up our family, friends, and
neighbors. This voting guide is my effort to help change that. Not everyone can spend the three hours
I did digging deep into the candidates, and I understand that.

Let this guide be your guide. And vote!

Federal District: 3
State District: 5
Local District: Encanto

My approach to primaries is two-fold:

1. Put as many progressive candidates on the ballot for the General Election in November as possible

2. Scare the living shit out of centrist Democratic candidates so they adopt progressive policies that will resonate with disenfranchised people who don't see the need to voting for feckless Democrats

I'm not interested in ideological litmus tests. I'm not looking for perfection. I just want to get the electorate excited about voting for candidates who are also sick of the status quo.

With that, I give you my AZ Primary 2026 Voting guide. And yes, it’s important that you vote on July 21st!

So grab your ballot and vote along with me!

FEDERAL

U.S. REP DIST. 3

☑️ Ansari, Yassamin
Yassamin ist he kind of fighter we need, simply because she cares about people. All of them. Send her back to D.C. to fight for you, too.

STATE

GOVERNOR

☑️ Hobbs, Katie
Katie doesn't tick every box for me, but fuck purity tests. She's stopped the MAGA domination of the state
legislature quite effectively. Let's keep her.

STATE SENATOR DIST. 5

☑️ Marsh, Christine
Honestly, I know very little about her. But a quick check of the bills she's sponsored clearly shows here in favor of progressive polices. She's also runnning unopposed, but still, please vote for her.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE DIST. 5 (PICK 2)

☑️ Liguori, Sarah** **
Sarah and I met in early 2025 at a rally at the state capitol. She's a big supporter of what we're doing at the #RhRRs—Rush-hour Resistance Rallies—around the Phoenix metro.

☑️ Márquez, Aaron
I met Aaron briefly when he stopped by the RhRR on the Melrose curve, likely enougaged to visit by Sarah. He's focused on proteccting democracy and opposes MAGA-led initiatives to disenchansize/discourage voting.

SECRETARY OF STATE

☑️ Fontes, Adrian
I don't know how Adrian handles the relentless onslaught of MAGA attacking him from all sides, but he does it and needs your vote.

ATTORNEY GENERAL
☑️ Mays, Kris
It's unlikely I'll ever love anyone running for the AG spot (ACAB), but I'd rather have Kris in office than whatever authoritarian MAGA puts forth in November. So vote for her now.

STATE TREASURER

☑️ Mansour, Nick
I don't know Nick, but his campaign priorities are progressive enough for me. Invest in education, stop the rich from getting richer at taxpayer expenses... those sorts of things.

SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

☑️ Newby, Brett Matthew
Of the two candidates, Brett is by far the most progressive. And my entire goal with this (and every) primary is to strike fear into the hearts of centrist Democrats, forcing them to become the progressives we want them to be in time for the General Election in November.

STATE MINE INSPECTOR

☑️ Matlock, Brian

Yeah, I'd like mining shut down as much as you, but that's not what this job is about. Brian's priorities are where they need to be, and he's not a MAGA lapdog like Presmyk promises to be.

CORPORATION COMMISSION (PICK 2)

☑️ Hill, Jonathon
The thought of an actual scientist (Ph. D. in Geological Sciences, Masters in Aerospace Engineering) on in this position is enough to make me salivate. I like his positions on increasing renewables and protecting our dwindling water supply.

☑️ Pratte, Clara
Clara already is investing in clean energy with her own company, Navajo Power. Her efforts to lower energy consumer costs seem focused on cleaner and cheaper sources, not just slashing rates on out-dated generation methods.

COUNTY

CLERK OF THE SUPERIOR COURT

☑️ Matta, Sebastion "Seb" Maximiliano
We need more young people in public office. At 18, he fits that bill. And he wants to make the Superior Court ”respect the integrity and sanctity of the judicial system."

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, ENCANTO

☑️ Begay, Deborah Ann
Deborah is prioritizes people over business interests, cops, and prosecutors. She's for reducing stupid fines, stopping warrantless-warrants, and protecting our more vulnerable community members.

CONSTABLE, ENCANTO

☑️** Ligocki-Russel, Mari**a
What's with candiates not having campaign websites? I couldn't find our much about Maria, but she's running unopposed, so... why not?

HOW TO GET YOUR EARLY BALLOT COUNTED EARLY

Maricopa county has a new ID Verified process to speed up early ballot processing. This new system lets your early ballot be fully verified and ran through the tabulator the very next day. Normally, mail-in ballots placed in dropboxes take a few days (or longer) to be verified and are not tabulated until after the polls close
on July 21st. Screw that.

The process is simple:

1. Fill out the early ballot you received in the mail like you
   normally would, seal it in the green envelope, sign your name, and add the date.

2. Take your signed, sealed envelope to your local early voting center, and stand in line.

3. Tell the poll worker you’d like to use the ID Verified process, and present your acceptable ID.

4. You will then scan your signed, sealed envelope with a special scanner.

5. Your envelope will then get a
   special red stamp from a poll worker.

6. Place your signed, sealed, and now special-stamped envelope into the dropbox.

Special-stamped envelops are identified by an election worker, and those envelopes are ran through the
tabulator right away. Nifty!

For sharing outside of Reddit: https://evoterra.me/az-2026-primary-voting-guide