Constitutional Amendment Would Reveal True Sources of Funding to Dark Money Groups in State Elections
June 27, 2018—The Outlaw Dirty Money Initiative, which would give Arizonans a constitutional right to know the sources of money being spent in their elections, is entering its final week of signature gathering. The campaign needs to meet a threshold of 225,963 valid signatures by July 5 in order to appear on the November 2018 ballot, and has announced a number of locations throughout the state where voters can stop and sign a petition to help the amendment qualify. The proposed amendment would require all groups spending more than $10,000 in Arizona elections to reveal the original sources of contributions of $2,500 or more, effectively putting an end to unaccountable political money in Arizona.
“A constitutional right to know the true sources of political money would ensure that Arizonans can know who’s really behind the candidates and issues on their ballot,” said Jay Costa, Executive Director of Voters’ Right to Know. “Special interests routinely spend millions of dollars in secret money to achieve political outcomes that benefit them, often at great cost to everyday voters in Arizona. By shining a light on these dark money forces so that the public can know what’s really at stake, the Outlaw Dirty Money amendment would help tilt Arizona government back toward the people, achieving a deep and lasting impact on the state’s democracy.”
Outlaw Dirty Money Initiative by the numbers
- 225,963 signatures required by July 5
- 30,000 signatures still needed (list of petition “stop & sign” locations)
- 8 days until July 5th
Dark money groups spent $15 million in undisclosed money to get candidates elected to Arizona’s state and legislative offices in 2014 according to the Arizona Republic.
In March of this year 91% of voters in the city of Tempe approved a Sunshine Ordinance requiring dark-money groups spending money on city elections to disclose their donors. That same month the Arizona State Legislature passed a bill, prohibiting cities from requiring disclosure of dark money spending in city elections. Governor Doug Ducey signed the bill into law in early April, in direct conflict with Tempe’s Sunshine Ordinance. In May, the Phoenix City Council placed a measure on the November 2018 ballot that, like Tempe’s, would require disclosure of dark money in city elections, setting the stage for a showdown between the state and voters in these two major cities.
“It’s clear that the people of Arizona want to know the true sources of money being spent to influence their vote—they’ve made their voices heard in Tempe in no uncertain terms, and they are on their way to doing the same in Phoenix,” said Costa. “The state legislature’s recent bill is an affront to democracy in Arizona, meant to protect special interests and keep voters in the dark. By taking action this week to put the Outlaw Dirty Money amendment on the state ballot, voters have a chance to stand up and reclaim their democracy by ensuring access to the kind of transparency that should be theirs by right.”
Outlaw Dirty Money Petition-Signing Locations for this weekend:
Link: https://outlawdirtymoney.com/sign-a-petition-day/
Voters can visit Outlaw Dirty Money’s website, email info@outlawdirtymoney.com or call the campaign office at 602-633-5146 to learn more, or volunteer. An up-to-date list of signature depots can be found here.
Voters’ Right to Know Project is a nonpartisan effort to promote the transparency and accountability of American politics by advancing effective state level policy surrounding the disclosure of political spending across all media platforms. We advocate for states to adopt a comprehensive set of solutions that together comprise a standard of transparency policy, beginning with the establishment of a groundbreaking state level constitutional right. For more about VRTK visit: http://vrtk.org.
Media Contact
Pamela Behrsin
pamela@votersrighttoknow.org
415-299-0898
