The Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans is a labor union-aligned left-of-center organization that aims to address social and economic concerns of retirees through outreach and voter education, as well as protect retiree pensions. ¹

The organization is led by Dora Vasquez, a former advisor to former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (D). The Arizona Democratic Party nominated Vasquez to serve as a presidential elector if then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried the state in 2024. ^{2 3}

About

The Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans aims to protect civil rights as well as address social and economic concerns of retirees. ¹ The organization is a chartered affiliate of the Alliance for Retired Americans and claims to have a membership of over 50,000 retirees across Arizona. ⁴

The organization focuses on several economic and social-policy issues including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, fair trade, ⁵ and voter education. ⁶ In 2022, the organization claimed to dedicate all its resources to educating senior voters about the elections and how to vote in Arizona. ⁶

One of the organization’s primary objectives is to mobilize retired union members and senior community activists “into a nationwide grassroots movement advocating a progressive political and social agenda-one that respects work and strengthens families.” ¹

Litigation

In August 2022, the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans joined Voto Latino and Priorities USA in claiming that Senate Bill 1260 violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments and brought suit against Arizona officials to challenge several provisions of the bill. The legislation required the cancelation of a voter’s registration if the voter was registered to vote in another Arizona county, established how to remove voters from Arizona’s vote-by-mail list if the voter is registered in another county, and made it a felony to forward a mail-in ballot to a voter who may be registered in another state. That same year, a federal judge temporarily blocked two provisions of the bill ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. The preliminary injunction was appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which vacated the preliminary injunction in 2024 and remanded the case back to the District Court. In March 2025, the Ninth Circuit granted Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans’ petition for a rehearing. Oral arguments for the rehearing are scheduled for June 2025. ⁷

In October 2022, the organization filed suit against several defendants, including Clean Elections USA, to challenge Clean Elections USA’s alleged voter intimidation practices, alleging that “that the organization’s supporters ‘gathered at ballot drop boxes in Maricopa County with the express purpose of deterring voters—who Defendants irrationally fear are ‘ballot mules’—from depositing their ballots.’” Ultimately, the case was consolidated with League of Women Voters of Arizona v. Lions of Liberty in which the parties agreed to a confidential settlement. ⁸

Partners

The organization is affiliated with several organizations including the American Federation of Government Employees, Arizona AFL-CIO, Arizona Education Association Retired, Arizona Federation of Teachers, Arizona State Association of Electrical Workers, Arizona State Council of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, UFCW Local 99, and the West Valley Union Club. ⁹

Financials

In 2022, Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans reported total revenue of more than $75,000, total expenses of about $63,000, and net assets of about $68,000. ¹⁰ In 2021, the total revenue reported was just over $106,000, total expenses was just over $70,000, and net assets were about $57,000. ¹¹

Leadership

Dora Vasquez is the executive director for the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans. ¹² Previously, she was an advisor to former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (D) as the director of the Governor’s Office of Boards and Commissions. She is a board member emeritus for the Kino Border Initiative and is the president of the Arizona Capitol Museum Guild. She attended Arizona State where she earned an undergraduate degree in justice studies. ² Vasques was nominated to serve as a presidential elector by the Arizona Democratic Party in 2024. ³

1. “About Us.” Arizona, May 30, 2023. https://arizona.retiredamericans.org/about-us/.
2. “About Us.” AWHF. Accessed April 5, 2025. https://www.azwhf.org/about-us.
3. Opperman, Victoria. “ICYMI: Arizona Democratic Party Names All-Women Electors Slate.” AZ Dems, August 29, 2024. https://azdem.org/icymi-arizona-democratic-party-names-all-women-electors-slate/.
4. Complaint, Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans; Voto Latino v. Clean Elections USA; Melody Jennings; Doe Defendants 1–10, (United States District Court District of Arizona October 24, 2022).
5. “Our Issues.” Arizona, November 15, 2022. https://arizona.retiredamericans.org/our-issues/.
6. MacDonald-Evoy, Jerod. “Voting Advocates Ponder Shifting Tactics Because of Drop Box Intimidation.” Arizona Mirror, November 1, 2022. https://azmirror.com/briefs/voting-advocates-ponder-shifting-tactics-because-of-drop-box-intimidation/.
7. “New Filing in Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans v. Fontes.” Democracy Docket, March 19, 2025. https://www.democracydocket.com/cases/arizona-s-b-1260-challenge/.
8. “Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans v. Clean Elections USA⚖️.” Democracy Docket, June 22, 2023. https://www.democracydocket.com/cases/arizona-voter-intimidation-challenge/.
9. “Affiliates.” Arizona, May 30, 2023. https://arizona.retiredamericans.org/about-us/affiliatessustaining-members-arizona-afl-cio-fred-yamashita-executive-director-3117-n-16th-street-suite-200-phoenix-az-85016-602-631-4488-fyamashitaazaflcio-org-ufcw-local-99-jim-mc/.
10. Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2022.
11.  Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2021.
12. “Leadership.” Arizona, April 8, 2024. https://arizona.retiredamericans.org/leadership/.