Former Arizona attorneys general Tom Horne and Terry Goddard were joined by dozens of Arizonans yesterday at the Secretary of State’s Office to begin the process to “outlaw dirty money.” The group may now start gathering petition signatures to put the Outlaw Dirty Money Constitutional Amendment on the 2018 ballot.
The application notes that the Amendment will prevent major contributors, who are trying to influence the outcome of Arizona elections, from hiding by transferring their money through intermediaries.
Also, “Anyone spending more than $10,000 to oppose or support candidates or ballot measures must disclose everyone who contributed $2,500 or more promptly, publicly, and under penalty of perjury. The money must be tracked back to its original source.”
The effort has already earned wide-spread support due to the controversy surrounding the Arizona Corporation Commission and the “dark” (undisclosed) campaign contributions in the 2014 elections.
According to the group’s website, “We need over a quarter-million Arizona voters to sign a petition to put the Amendment on the ballot in 2018. We know more than 80% of Arizonans support what this Amendment will do: Clean up Arizona’s elections. So, we’re hopeful, but we know its (sic) going to be hard work. And the dirty money will attack us at every turn.”
The Purpose and Intent of the Outlaw Dirty Money Constitutional Amendment:
A. This Constitutional Amendment is intended to secure the right of the People of Arizona to know who is making major contributions to influence the result of Arizona elections, to prevent corruption and provide information Arizona voters need to make informed election decisions.
B. To secure this right, this Constitutional Amendment requires public disclosure of all contributors who give more than $2,500 to influence elections in a two-year election cycle, regardless of legal form and whether their contributions passed through any intermediaries.
C. By adopting this Constitutional Amendment, the People of Arizona affirm their desire to stop the practice of laundering political contributions through multiple intermediaries to hide the original source.
D. Both individual citizens and the Citizens Clean Elections Commission will have the ability to enforce the disclosure requirements, and violators will be subject to significant civil penalties.