Sunburnt & Stubborn: Arizona's Weekly Activism Roundup | July 12-18, 2026
"Get in good trouble, necessary trouble." Six years after John Lewis left us, Arizonans from Scottsdale to Show Low are taking him at his word. "Good Trouble Lives On" events will be in at least six communities this week ... fitting timing, because the fight over voting rights he gave his life to is heating up again.
There's more where that came from. Two bus tours stop in Phoenix and Tucson to ask who pays when billionaires get the tax breaks (hint: hungry kids & families). Secretary of State Adrian Fontes joins volunteers to talk election protection. And with the primary on July 21, every door knocked this week counts double. Details below!
What's Happening This Week
Voting Rights
The anniversary of John Lewis's death lands this Friday, and organizers are honoring his legacy the way he would have wanted, by defending the right to vote.
July 16 | Special Event with Secretary of State Adrian Fontes | Desert Democracy | 5:30 PM | Phoenix. Arizona's Secretary of State shares how he is working to protect the vote and how volunteers can help educate fellow voters.
July 17 | Scottsdale Good Trouble Lives On | John Lewis Actions | 8:00 AM | Scottsdale. A morning of visibility and action honoring John Lewis's legacy and pushing back on efforts to restrict voting rights.
July 18 | Tucson Good Trouble Lives On — Food Drive & Rally | John Lewis Actions | 9:00 AM | Tucson. Celebrate John Lewis's legacy with MoveOn at UUCT with a rally that doubles as a food drive for neighbors in need.
Protests & Resistance
From border towns to the high country, Arizonans are keeping steady, visible pressure on elected officials and the administration this week.
July 15 | Rio Rico Protest & Protect | Nogales Santa Cruz County AZ Indivisible | 5:00 PM | Rio Rico. Santa Cruz County neighbors stand united against the dismantling of systems and rights that belong to everyone.
July 17 | Defend Democracy: CD6 Protest at Ciscomani's Office | Democracy Unites Us | 7:45 AM | Tucson. Billed as the largest mid-summer peaceful protest in Tucson, outside Rep. Ciscomani's office.
July 18 | Stand Up CD 8 | Desert Progressives Indivisible | 8:00 AM | Phoenix. A peaceful, high-visibility protest calling out Rep. Abe Hamadeh's silence on EVERYTHING.
Immigration
ICE enforcement continues to target Arizona workers and families, and communities are answering with sustained, visible solidarity. Join in!
July 16 | Rush-hour Resistance Rally @ ICE Field Office | Desert Democracy | 7:30 AM | Phoenix. Morning rally directly across from the ICE Field Office, part of a weekday rally series across Phoenix.
July 18 | ICE Out of Home Depot Phoenix Protest | National Day Laborer Organizing Network | 9:00 AM | Phoenix. Stand with day laborers, workers, and customers targeted by ICE operations around Home Depot stores.
Public Education
Save Our Schools Arizona is hosting a bunch of canvasses. Can you come out?
July 12–18 | Make Calls for the Primary Election with SOSAZ | Save Our Schools Arizona | 2:00 PM | Virtual. Daily Zoom phone banks all week supporting pro-public-education candidates in LD2 ahead of the primary. Multiple times available.
July 18 | GENZ Taco Tuesday Canvass | Save Our Schools Arizona | 5:00 PM | Casa Grande. Youth organizations from across Arizona knock doors in Casa Grande — with tacos. YUM!
Elections & Candidates
This is the week to meet the people asking for your vote and to help your neighbors make a plan to return their ballot!
July 15 | July Community Gathering & Candidate Forum | Indivisible Northern AZ | 5:30 PM | Flagstaff. Northern Arizona's community gathering continues its candidate forum series. Doors open at 5:00 PM.
July 18 | Get Out The Vote Fest | Fuerte Arts Movement | 10:00 AM | Phoenix. Indoor vendors, live music, BINGO, and family-friendly activities built around getting ballots returned.
July 18 | Pullano's Pizza and Wings Meet Up | LD27 Democrats | 12:00 PM | Glendale. Meet legislative candidates Deborah Howard and Kyle Clayton over pizza and share what matters to you.
Mutual Aid & Community
Two bus tours roll through Arizona this week putting faces to the cost of federal cuts, and volunteers are packing food boxes for families who need them now.
July 15 | Hear Our Hunger: Bus Tour | Opportunity Arizona | 6:00 PM | Phoenix. One year after tax breaks for billionaires cut food access, over 400,000 Arizonans are affected. Hear their stories at the Phoenix stop.
July 16 | Healthcare Over Billionaires Bus Tour | LUCHA ACE | 5:00 PM | Tucson. LUCHA, ACE, and Families Over Billionaires bring the national Who Pays? Bus Tour to Tucson.
July 18 | Pack Emergency Food Boxes | Arizona LD17 Democrats | 8:30 AM | Tucson. Volunteer alongside Rep. Kevin Volk and LD17 candidates to pack emergency food boxes for families in a tough moment.
Canvassing & Phone Banking
Primary GOTV is here. Whether you prefer a headset or a clipboard, there is a shift for you every single day this week.
July 12–18 | Fountain Hills GOTV Primary Phone Bank | LD3 Democrats | 10:00 AM | Virtual. Daily phone bank reminding Fountain Hills voters who have not returned ballots about primary dates and where to vote. Script provided.
July 15 | Canvass East Tucson | Mendoza for Congress | 4:30 PM | Tucson. Evening doors in East Tucson — the campaign runs canvasses across the city through Saturday.
July 18 | Call Voters in Arizona CD 01 with Ground Truth | Swing Left | 1:00 PM | Virtual. A phone bank designed to rebuild trust with voters and win back power in the midterms, focused on Arizona's first congressional district.
Quick Action Alerts
Volunteer as a Secular AZ Regional Watchdog. Christian nationalist rhetoric from Peoria Unified and Deer Valley Unified school board members, plus Gov. Hobbs signing HB4117, are normalizing religious overreach into public institutions. Secular AZ can't track all 300+ school boards, ~100 city councils, and 15 county boards alone. Can you help?
- What to do: Email info@secularaz.org to volunteer to monitor local governance meetings (school boards, city councils, county boards) for religious-overreach issues.
- Read more here.
Complete five 1-Click Action Alerts in just a few minutes with the Action Carousel on the Hub, powered by Climate Action Now.
Thanks for being here and I'll see you next week, patriots!
Sunburnt & Stubborn is produced by June @ Arizona Advocacy Hub. All politics is local. So is the resistance.
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