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.