My first few months as Chair have been incredible - I have met and worked with wonderful Legislative District (LD) Chairs, my outstanding County Board, and the excellent staff at MCDP. As the former Chair of Legislative District 28 (LD 28), I understand the combined forces it takes to elect local candidates. My role as County Chair continues this mission--electing Democrats at the local level from County to School Board, and we do it by recruiting, training, and engaging volunteers across Maricopa County.‍

In my short time as Chair, I have attended all 20 LD meetings, hosted an LD Chair retreat, revamped our County Committee structure, created an Arizona Politics 101 training, and held our first School Board information session for interested candidates. Maricopa County is large and diverse, so it’s vital to learn the unique characteristics of our LDs. I am in awe of the thousands of enthusiastic Precinct Committee Members (PCs) passionate about electing Democrats. While many of these PCs have been advocating for Democratic values in numerous election cycles, a large group appeared after 2016. Keeping all of these PCs engaged is a huge responsibility for each LD. This past cycle, Zoom became tremendously helpful in outreach to new voters while maintaining our existing volunteers informed about ways to help. While the pandemic may have stopped our in-person events, we pivoted to virtual platforms, and we are stronger for it. It’s inspiring to witness our LDs build in preparation for 2022. As this critical year goes on, I’m continuing to learn about all LDs various challenges. MCDP Staff addresses these challenges with assistance in fundraising, digital/comms, recruitment, and more.

Immediately following the November election, the most significant priority became  LD restructuring, known as county re-organization. During this period, LD Chairs and Executive Board members step down, and new leadership is elected. As volunteers take on new leadership roles, training and development became another major issue. Soon, we realized we had the opportunity to develop further training and education programs in preparation for the 2022 midterms. These programs focus on preparing PCs, activists, and volunteers to be ready no matter what district they live in after the redistricting process. They also allow me to give one-on-one coaching, advice, and guidance to new LD Chairs. These programs are crucial for our mobilization efforts in 2022 and beyond.

As we get closer to 2022, we look to bring awareness to our mission and vision for Maricopa County. We want to educate the wider Maricopa County community about the importance of engagement in local elections. We also want to strengthen our relationships with community organizations. Helping both voters and volunteers understand the impact of local elections encourages community involvement in their local LD. Consequently, that increases PC membership across the county, maximizing our efforts to elect local Democratic candidates. Boosting engagement for local races is MCDP’s number one priority. As Chair, I guarantee all of our resources go toward this effort. We’re firm believers in the trickle-up effect, which encourages voting in local elections to drum up enthusiasm for the top of the ticket races. Executing this theory into practice in 2022 is vital for our success in local elections.

In community,

Nancy Schriber, MCDP Chair