6 Reasons You Must Sign Up for AZ’s Request to Speak System
If you’ve taken time to read some of La Phoenikera’s articles, you’ve probably caught on to our political leanings. There ain’t no hidin.’ We believe that everyone has basic rights that have to be respected, no matter who you are or where you come from.
However, Arizona doesn’t always lean that way. Whether it’s the immigrant community, women, LGBT folk, poor people, someone always seems to be under attack. We have elected officials that don’t necessarily look after all communities. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do our part in holding them accountable. After all, no matter which party wins the election, once they’re in office, we are ALL their constituents, even if we didn’t vote for them.
Arizona has a tool we can all use to hold elected officials accountable: the Request to Speak System (RTS) and here is why we think you MUST use it.
NUMBER ONE! If there is a bill at the legislature that you don’t agree with or you strongly support, through the RTS you can let legislators know where you stand on it. You can simply say support/oppose, or you can also submit a written comment. Remember SB1070? It would have been great for masses of peeps to log in their thoughts about it through the RTS.
NUMBER TWO! If you’re so riled up about an issue that your gut demands you stand in front of legislators to give them a piece of your mind, you can! Through the RTS you can ask to testify in person when a bill you care about is being heard.
NUMBER THREE! You don’t even have to get off your butt to express your support or opposition to a bill. You can log on to the RTS via the interwebs.
NUMBER FOUR! Advocacy is a collective action. When large groups of people use the RTS for or against a bill, it can help swing the momentum behind an issue. The universe knows there are many issues that need our voice in the good ol’ AZ.
NUMBER FIVE! Budget hearings will likely happen at the end of April or early May and you can use the RTS to push our state to prioritize the important things, i.e. money for schools instead of prisons.
NUMBER SIX! You should use the RTS because they probably don’t want you to. To activate the account you create online, you actually have to go down to the State Capitol. So if you live or work somewhere other than the area around 17th avenue and Washington in La Phoenikera, you’re probably not gonna do it (how’s that for incentivizing us to participate in the political process?). But we have a way around it. There are organizations that advocate for different issues and they do the work of going down to the Capitol for you. One of those is Expect More Arizona and you can sign up with them at ExpectMoreArizona.org/RequestToSpeak. They’ll activate your account and you’ll be ready to speak your peace!
