Hundreds Knock On Doors For Anti-Sheriff Joe Arpaio Canvass

By Jude Joffe-Block
Published: Monday, October 24, 2016 - 8:20am
Updated: Monday, October 24, 2016 - 2:49pm
Jude Joffe-Block/KJZZ
Bazta Arpaio campaign volunteers.

A campaign called Bazta Arpaio that aims to get voters to vote out Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says it held the largest canvass against the six-term sheriff in history over the weekend.

Activists from other states, including California, New Mexico, Louisiana and Georgia came to Phoenix to volunteer alongside Arizonans in an effort to persuade voters to cast a ballot against Arpaio. 500 volunteers knocked on 13,000 doors on Saturday according to the Bazta Arpaio campaign.

Campaign volunteers said they oppose Arpaio’s immigration enforcement tactics and his office’s treatment of Latinos and jail inmates. In 2013 a federal judge determined Arpaio and his office racially profiled Latino drivers. Arpaio is facing a criminal contempt charge for violating the judge’s orders in the same case.

Candice Brace works for the International Electrical Workers Union in Vacaville, California. Her job sent her to Phoenix to work on this campaign for the past two weeks.

“We’re just trying to get him out of office, and stop anybody like Arpaio,” Brace said at a Saturday evening “retirement party” the Bazta Arpaio campaign threw for the sheriff outside his downtown headquarters. “He is like a mini Trump, we are trying not to let that hatred spread thread throughout the whole country.”

An Arizona Republic/Morrison Institute/Cronkite poll released last week found Arpaio’s opponent Paul Penzone ahead by 15 points, but Arpaio’s campaign disputes it and says its own poll shows Arpaio ahead by more than 7 points.

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