TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Shuffling through pamphlets and putting them together, Katie Maass put them into a bag for volunteers. It’s a familiar process she’s been doing for almost 20 years as a volunteer for the Legislative District 17 Democrats.
“I want a state legislature that will truly work with the community,” Maass said.
She’s one of many volunteers from Tucson, but the district has had volunteers come from as far as Texas and the United Kingdom. Candidates from the district have been canvassing since January and volunteers have been canvassing for a year, since last October.
“With my work, if we get our candidates elected, we’ll have a tied legislature,” Maass said.
Right now, the Arizona Legislature is controlled by Republicans in both the State Senate and the House of Representatives, but only by two seats in each chamber.
That small margin is why Maass is passionate about Democrats winning over voters.
“So if we elect our leaders, we’ll have a tied legislature, and that means that they have to split power,” she said.
Maass also goes door-to-door, handing out the pamphlets she put together in her home. She informs people about the candidates and the issues they stand for.
“So many things make a difference in our lives, and these are people who are making decisions that affect our rights,” she said.
Matthew Jellison is a Republican who volunteered for the Kari Lake campaign on Sunday, making phone calls to encourage people to vote for her.
“Some people who may be undecided or on the fence or maybe not even thinking about going to vote, may change their mind,” Jellison said.
He’s been volunteering for Republican candidates for years and is familiar with the process of making phone calls.
“For guys like me who don’t have a ton of money to donate, time is the next best thing,” he said.
He said volunteering is especially crucial in the swing state of Arizona where people canvassing can get voters that may decide the state's winner.
“Anything that we can do to make that margin greater in the end and have it less decisive, I think people are going to be just more likely to believe the result,” Jellison said.
However, he said in the end it’s important to vote, no matter who wins.
“It’s just important to go out and have your voice heard even if you don’t like the result,” Jellison said.
——-
Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
