Peter Bakke
The SaddleBrooke Democratic Club welcomed over 50 attendees to its May meeting, which featured a virtual presentation by James Goodwin of the Center for Progressive Reform. Speaking via Zoom from Philadelphia, Goodwin provided valuable insights into the federal administration’s progress on Project 2025—a sweeping policy initiative aimed at reshaping the federal government. His participation highlighted the advantages of virtual events in bringing national policy experts directly to SaddleBrooke members.
The club will be taking a summer break from monthly meetings, with no events scheduled for July or August. However, club leadership remains active and available throughout the summer. Members and community residents are encouraged to reach out at any time by emailing info@saddlebrookedemocrats.org.
The last meeting before the summer break was on June 10. The June meeting focused on ranked choice voting, an increasingly popular electoral system that allows voters to rank candidates by preference. This method promotes majority support, reduces vote-splitting, and fosters more civil and representative campaigns.
The agenda also included an introduction to the Request to Speak system at the Arizona State Legislature. This online platform enables Arizona residents to register opinions and submit comments on legislation under committee consideration—all without needing to testify in person. Attendees learned how to effectively participate in the process from home.