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Midterms 2022

Arizona Under Stress: Growth, Demographics and Democracy

After Joe Biden’s razor-thin win in Arizona in 2020 and the state’s discredited recount that followed, Arizonans are preparing to go back to the polls for this year’s midterm elections, beginning with primaries on Aug. 2. These stories — produced by Baruch College (CUNY) journalism students — look beyond the usual horse-race coverage and explore issues that are likely to motivate voters and influence outcomes at the ballot box.

Focusing on the Phoenix metropolitan area, these stories are about obstacles to the Native American vote, activism among young Latinos, education culture wars, a worsening housing shortage fueled by a population boom, as well as the costs of the megadrought and efforts to conserve scarce and precious water.

THE NATIVE AND LATINO VOTES

 

Broadband Lags in Native Communities
By Geoffrey Shamah
Arizona tribes have been lobbying for better access for years, but have been hindered by a slew of obstacles.

EDUCATION, LABOR AND CULTURE WARS

 

How Arizona’s School Boards Became a Cultural War Zone
By Dani Heba
Arizona’s school boards are at the forefront of America’s growing culture wars and the push for education privatization.

Microschools Gain in
Push for Privatization
By Malina Seenarine
The state’s push to privatize education has spawned a new way to funnel public-school funds to private hands: microschools.

Conversion of a
Goldwater Republican
By Jahlil Rush
While working for the Goldwater Institute, Charles Siler had an epiphany that would transform him into a liberal crusader

Mesa Starbucks Bucks
Anti-Union Norms
By Gabriel Rivera and Noel Stevens
The Mesa store became the first Starbucks outside of New York and the third nationwide to unionize.

GROWTH, HOUSING AND WATER 

Phoenix’s Metro Area
Experiences Growing Pains
By Noel Stevens
A population surge is outpacing Phoenix’s housing market and eliminating hopes for a more affordable lifestyle in outlying cities.
Intel’s Growth Fuels Chandler’s Boom

Overheated Market Squeezes
Arizona’s Housing Supply
By Tahreem Ashraf
Low inventory, a growing population and zoning restrictions are adding pressure to a housing market under extreme stress.
Dust Bowl Exhibit Links Past to Present