Dismantling Disclosure in Arizona
Unless we act, Arizona will lose its long-standing progressive campaign finance laws.
Earlier this year, a piece of state legislation (SB 1516) set in motion a plan that would reverse 20 years of state-required political spending disclosure and cripple the ability of Arizona’s Citizens Clean Election Commission to enforce Arizona’s campaign finance laws.
Some of the egregious provisions of the bill would:
- minimize the state’s role in clean elections;
- effectively delegate policing “dark money” compliance to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in Washington, D.C.;
- allow campaigns to spend money from their own funds in order to donate to other candidates;
- reduce penalties for candidates that overspend; and
- take away the right of state election officials to subpoena candidate records.
When he signed the bill, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey contended that the law would make it easier for everyday citizens to run for office – but how does an endless supply of undisclosed, “dark money” flowing in to campaigns make it easier for citizens to get involved in our democracy?
In reality, laws like SB 1516 make it increasingly more difficult for voices of everyday Americans to be heard over the avalanches of money that billionaires, corporations and dark money nonprofit organizations they funnel their spending through are able to play in politics. After the disastrous 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case, these conduit organizations can collect and spend unlimited amounts to promote their special interests — so long as they keep their spending “uncoordinated” with candidates and parties. This new law would allow much more of that unlimited spending to occur without even any disclosure of who is really behind it by allowing Arizona political spenders to hide behind claims of federal tax exemption.
We need your help to bring the law back for a citizen referendum – so that Arizona citizens, and not the wealthy few, can decide if a murkier campaign finance system is in their best interest. State disclosure laws, like the one that was overturned by SB 1516, are the only antidote to this corruption of our democracy.
Before SB 1516 was passed, AZ’s Citizens Clean Election Commission was actively enforcing the important state campaign finance laws– but lawmakers catering to their big money donors schemed to write this bill to make sure that spending went back into the dark.
But the biggest loss of all would be the further weakening of our democracy.
Please join us in pushing for a citizen referendum to reverse SB 1516.