iVote to spend $5 million in Arizona Secretary of State race

By Alexandra Marquez

iVote, a group that works to elect Democratic Secretaries of State, will spend $5 million on an ad campaign in Arizona to boost Democratic Secretary of State candidate Adrian Fontes and attack his Republican opponent, Mark Finchem. In 2018, the group spent $3 million in the state's Secretary of State race to help elect Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who is now running for governor.

Liberal group spends $4 million to boost secretary of state races

By Adam Wren and Zach Montellaro

A liberal group focused on secretary of state races is making its first major investments of the midterm election cycle, putting down seven-figure buys in a pair of states where the chief election officer is on the ballot in November. iVote, the organization behind the buys, is launching $2 million TV advertising campaigns in both Minnesota and Michigan.

The Midterm Races That Give Democrats Nightmares

By Blake Hounshell

Ellen Kurz, the founder and president of iVote, has been focused on secretary of state races for nearly a decade, she said in an interview. In 2018, the group spent $7 million helping elect Democrats in Arizona and Michigan who later became important players in the 2020 election. This year, iVote has a budget of more than twice that amount — $15 million, which it plans to spend on broadcast, cable and digital advertising to bolster its candidates.

Conspiracy Theorists Want to Run America’s Elections. These Are the Candidates Standing in Their Way

By Charlotte Alter

A single conspiracy theorist overseeing elections in a swing state could plunge the next presidential race into chaos or even change the result. “If even one of these people win, and they say, ‘We don’t like these results,’ then we’re in a constitutional crisis,” says Ellen Kurz, founder of iVote, which works to elect Democratic secretaries of state. “They will stop at nothing,” Kurz adds. “So we have to stop them.”

Is the Future of Arizona the Future of America Without Democracy?

By Ellen Kurz

In 2020, Democratic secretaries of state stood as a firewall against the Big Lie, earning them threats of violence from armed protestors and the former president. Now, in 2022, these election administration officials are on the ballot again, and whether they defeat their "Stop the Steal" opponents may determine whether the 2024 presidential election is free and fair or a constitutional crisis in the making. Nowhere is that truer than in the battleground state of Arizona.

Want Better Elections? Choose Better Elections Officials

By Ellen Kurz

The big news from Georgia’s primary election last Tuesday wasn’t who won and who lost. It was the galling meltdown at polling places in black communities across the state. New voting machines were missing or didn’t work. Voters waited hours in line to cast their ballots. Some understandably gave up.

Congress Must Defeat the Continued Insurrection Against American Democracy | Opinion

By Rep. Jim McGovern and Ellen Kurz

The Capitol insurrection isn't over. In Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country, the assault on American democracy that began on January 6 rages on.

Secretaries of State: Our democracy's new first responders

By Ellen Kurz

In recent weeks, our nation and our democracy were attacked by our own government. Donald Trump’s “voter integrity” commission demanded each state hand over the names, addresses, and social security numbers of millions of Americans citizens. Led by state secretaries of State, more than 40 states said “no” in whole or part to Trump’s effort.

Behind Katie Hobbs' win: How Democrats flipped Arizona's 2nd-highest office

By Dustin Gardiner

Most of the money that the Arizona Democratic Party spent on Hobbs' behalf, about $3.2 million, came from iVote Fund. ... 'In the general election, Democrats outspent our campaign two-to-one on television,' said Brian Seitchik, Gaynor's campaign consultant. 'In a Democrat-friendly year, [Hobbs's] spending advantage was the difference.