Arizona Right to Know Source of Campaign Contributions Initiative (2018)

Arizona Right to Know Source of Campaign Contributions Initiative
Election date November 6, 2018
Topic Campaign finance
Status Not on the ballot
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens
List of Arizona measuresArizona Proposition 125Arizona Proposition 127Arizona Proposition 305Arizona Proposition 306Submit

The Arizona Right to Know Source of Campaign Contributions Initiative was not on the ballot in Arizona as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018.

The measure would have established a state constitutional right to know the original source of contributions used for campaign expenditures. The measure would have also required the "prompt, accessible, comprehensible and public disclosure of original sources."

The measure was designed to disclose the entities and persons that provide funds to other entities and persons, such as 501(c)(4) nonprofits and associations, that provide over $10,000 in contributions to committees in two-year election cycles.

Text of measure

Full text

The full text of the measure is available here.

Support

Outlaw Dirty Money led the campaign in support of the initiative. Terry Goddard (D), a former state attorney general, headed the campaign.

Arguments

• Bob Grossfeld, a campaign consultant, said, "We look at this as 'dirty money.' This is no different than criminal syndicates who are laundering money. It's for the same purposes: to hide the people behind it."

Opposition

Arguments

• Gov. Doug Ducey (R), responding to the initiative, said, "I’ve always been a fan of more transparency. I think people have a First Amendment right as well to participate and not be bullied."

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Arizona

In Arizona, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 15 percent of the votes cast in the preceding gubernatorial election. Petitions are allowed to circulate for 24 months before the general election at which the measure would be included on the ballot. Signatures must be submitted four months before the general election to be certified for that ballot.

The requirements to get an initiative certified for the ballot in 2018:

• Signatures: 225,963 valid signatures were required.
• Deadline: July 5, 2018, was the final date to file signatures.

The Right to Know Source of Campaign Contributions Initiative was filed on November 29, 2017. Outlaw Dirty Money, the PAC behind the initiative, reported filing 285,768 signatures on July 5, 2018. At least 225,963 (79.07 percent) of the filed signatures needed to be valid for the initiative to make the ballot. On August 21, 2018, State Elections Director Eric Spencer announced that the initiative failed to make the ballot, per a random sample of signatures. The random sample indicated that the campaign fell short about 2,071 signatures.

Former Attorney General Terry Goddard (D), a supporter of the initiative, said he was optimistic that the courts would restore enough signatures that were thrown out for the initiative to make the ballot. He stated, "I think it would be premature to say that any of these numbers are final." On August 29, 2018, the Arizona Supreme Court said not enough signatures had been collected to put the measure on the ballot.

See also

Suggest a link

• Arizona 2018 ballot measures
• 2018 ballot measures
• Laws governing the initiative process in Arizona