This article was originally published in Public News Service.
Now that the deadline to register to vote in Arizona has passed, voting-rights advocates are switching their focus to voter education.
Today, the League of Women Voters of Arizona holds a voter empowerment event at Mesa Community College's Kirk Student Center in honor of National Voter Education Week. The group will distribute voting materials, details on this year's ballot initiatives and information on the "One Person, One Vote" campaign, which aims to abolish the Electoral College.
Pinny Sheoran, president of the League of Women Voters of Arizona, said voters, especially younger voters, are not only energized, but what she calls "absolutely alert" to what is at stake in this election.
"They have courage, they know it is their future, and we are here to make sure we give them the wind beneath their sails to help them move this forward," she said.
Sheoran encourages all Arizona voters to do their homework and research not only candidates but the ballot propositions, too. And while Election Day isn't until November 5, early voting has already begun in the Grand Canyon State.
While Arizonans will weigh in and determine who will be the next president of the United States, Sheoran said it is crucial they also educate themselves on the down-ballot races for county and city positions that'll have a direct impact on their day-to-day lives.
Sheoran contends everything is at stake in this election, and wants younger voters to know they have the power to determine the future of the country. Despite a certain level of disillusionment among voters, more than 50% of registered voters between ages 18 and 29 voted in the 2020 race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Sheoran is counting on that number to go up.
"If democracy dies in this election, then the work we do not only becomes harder, it may not become even possible, and that is a reality everybody needs to wake up to," she continued.
Sheoran added she doesn't want any voters, especially first-time voters, to experience unnecessary barriers in making their voices heard. A survey from Arizona State University finds two out of three Gen Z registered voters in Arizona say they plan to vote in this year's election.
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