FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2022

Media Contact:
[email protected]

Dear Arizona voters,

In a year when radical politicians are working to undermine our faith in the democratic process, our vote is one of the most important tools we have to make our voices heard. Activate 48 is a grassroots coalition that believes voting is key to shaping the future of Arizona so it’s more reflective of our communities, and not corporations or conspiracy theorists. Arizona’s long standing movement organizations working to engage Latinxs and communities of color — LUCHA; Mi Familia Vota; Our Voice, Our Vote AZ; and Chispa Arizona — are coming together and writing to Arizona’s voters with an important plea: please don’t vote for Mark Finchem.

No candidate is less deserving of the office they seek than Mark Finchem. Arizona’s next Secretary of State is supposed to protect voters. However electing Mark Finchem would be dangerous for all voters – especially voters of color. Here’s how we know:

• In 2018, Finchem introduced HB 2002, an educator code of ethics that would prohibit the teaching of racial justice or equity. This bill was closely modeled after the beliefs of David Horowitz, “a driving force of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and anti-black movements,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
• In 2022, Finchem co-sponsored a voter suppression bill that would severely restrict mail-in voting and revoke the active early voter list. This is especially bad for voters of color, who are at a much higher risk of being removed from the early voting list.
• Finchem repeatedly introduced legislation to decertify President Biden’s win and overturn the results of the 2020 election. He was present at the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection, a siege that the former spokesperson for the Oath Keepers warned “could have been a spark that started a new civil war.”
• Finchem shared a startling confession with his supporters. He indicated in an email to them in May that ‘had he been in charge in 2020, “We would have won. Plain and simple.”’

Mark Finchem doesn’t care about us. He’s a self-proclaimed member of the Oath Keepers, the same far-right and anti-government militia that prepared for “armed rebellion” on January 6th. Mark Finchem only cares about undermining the multiracial, multigenerational democracy Arizona’s next Secretary of State will be elected to protect. Mark Finchem can’t be trusted to ensure the integrity of our elections, protect voting rights, or safeguard democracy. And most importantly, Mark Finchem can’t be trusted with your vote.

Arizona’s Secretary of State is one of the top political jobs in the state, second only to the Governor and in charge of expanding voting access while securing our elections. Accessible and fair elections are the foundation for an equitable and reflective democracy. Mark Finchem knows this. That’s why he wants to keep us from the ballot. Voting is our last line of defense against his thinly-veiled racism, incompetence, and bigotry. As Arizona’s next Secretary of State, Mark Finchem will disenfranchise communities of color. And as a people-powered movement led by Arizona’s grassroot groups of color, Activate 48 is sounding the alarm. Mark Finchem doesn’t deserve your vote. We deserve better.

Sincerely,

Activate 48

LUCHA AZ; Mi Familia Vota; Our Voice, Our Vote Arizona; Chispa Arizona