Arizona’s vulnerable populations are struggling on a daily basis but usually do so in silence, undetected by traditional radar and rankings, often unaware themselves of their high risk for being pushed or pulled into full crisis. Ineligible for financial assistance under strict eligibility guidelines, they don’t qualify as poor because vulnerable populations are not yet in full crisis. To be clear, this report is not about the “poor,” at least not in the limited sense of the word. It is about our underemployed wage earners, our single-parent households, our deployed or returning military members, our under-educated and unskilled workforce, our debt-ridden neighbors, our uninsured friends, our family members with no savings for an emergency, much less retirement.

This follow-up to the 2001 landmark report, "Five Shoes Waiting to Drop on Arizona's Future," focuses on the projected future of the state if Arizona fails to address its Latino educational attainment gap. The publication is more of an economic impact statement than an education report, with indicators pointing out consequences and contributions, depending on action or inaction in closing the gap of Arizona's future workforce.

While many potential voters care deeply about local and state issues, 45 percent of Arizona citizens of voting-age population did not vote in the last election, according to a report by Morrison Institute for Public Policy. To address this voter crisis, Arizona Clean Elections commissioned this report, the first in a series, to identify the reasons why only a little more than half of eligible voters actually are casting ballots in Arizona, as well as a first-of-its-kind knowledge bank of information on Arizona government to ensure that voters can vote in an informed manner.

Politics, elections and governance in the United States are largely viewed through the lens of a two-party power structure of Republicans and Democrats. However, a distinct but ill-defined group of voters is quietly becoming a force that no longer can be ignored. Independent voters are increasingly determining winners and losers in election contests throughout the country and the number of Americans who call themselves independents is on the rise. However surprisingly little is known about the America’s independent voters. Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University and the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy have teamed up with one another and Independentvoting.org to examine the independent voter phenomenon and the impact that it is having on the American political landscape. Their findings have been outlined in the briefing paper Gamechangers?: Independent Voters May Rewrite the Political Playbook.

This brief, prepared as part of Morrison Institute for Public Policy's Spotlight on Arizona’s Kids project, outlines evidence-based services that help reduce or prevent child abuse and neglect, including home visiting, parent education, domestic violence services, and substance abuse treatment. Morrison Institute, supported by the Arizona Community Foundation, recently released an interactive story map that provides information on child abuse and neglect prevention resources throughout Arizona. To view this resource visit: https://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu/content/interactive-maps-child-abuse-and-neglect-prevention-resources-arizona

Only about one in five eligible voters cast ballots in Arizona primaries, despite the fact these races often serve as the decisive election for Congress and the Legislature. Independents, who often don't know they can participate in primaries, are dramatically unrepresented. That's among the findings from Arizona Primary Elections: Primarily Forgotten, a new report by ASU Morrison Institute for Public Policy as part of a statewide voter education/engagement project by Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. "The more voters that participate in a primary the broader the representation of the public," said Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission Executive Director Tom Collins. "The Clean Elections Act and our partnership with Morrison are helping to call attention to these important issues of voter participation." "The voter crisis in Arizona is really underscored by the lack of citizen participation in the primary elections, especially when considering the fact many key races are determined in the primary and the general election is relegated to more of a formality," said Morrison Institute's Joseph Garcia, who along with David Daugherty co-authored report. The Arizona's Voter Crisis report found a lackluster voter turnout in the general election, as well. While 2.6 million votes were cast in the 2016 Arizona general election, there also were 2.1 million "potential voters" who did not exercise their fundamental right at the polls. "It almost can be said that voters don't determine elections, non-voters do," Garcia said.

When families are strong and children thrive, the community prospers. The 2019 Arizona Town Halls will address the topic of Strong Families Thriving Children. Town Hall sessions will focus on how we can collectively support families and children so that they are better able to overcome risk factors such as adverse childhood experiences and economic downturns.

From its inception, the “Spotlight on Arizona’s Kids” project was a different type of initiative undertaken by Morrison Institute for Public Policy and none more important – the safety and well-being of children whose lives intersect with the child welfare system. This multi-year project, funded by Arizona Community Foundation (ACF), includes data and expertise provided by Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS), along with input from national and local child welfare experts. To date, the project has produced five publications that examine the breadth and complexity of issues related to child neglect with the goal of informing effective policy in Arizona.

This is the fourth in a series of briefs in which Morrison Institute for Public Policy will report on selected aspects of Arizona’s child welfare system. Morrison Institute’s first white paper discussed the less visible but more common side of child maltreatment: neglect. The second white paper examined family conditions that can influence a family’s subtle “drift” towards unsafe situations that often correlate with neglect, as well as how different types of prevention might help interrupt the “drift into failure.” The third paper analyzed Arizona Department of Child Safety data to identify the prevalence of various types of neglect in Arizona reports. This paper highlights some key conclusions from the neglect analysis and identifies future areas for study and analysis as part of the Spotlight on Arizona’s Kids project. Future papers will research, analyze and discuss prevention services in Arizona and elsewhere, with an emphasis on best practices. These collective efforts are intended to help state leaders, child advocates and others discuss and identify the most-effective child abuse and neglect prevention strategies. Spotlight on Arizona’s Kids is funded by the Arizona Community Foundation