April 14, 2016 •
AZ Campaign Finance Ballot Initiative Seeks to Counter Senate Bill 1516
Signatures are being collected to put a campaign finance initiative on the Arizona state ballot this November. The initiative, filed on April 12 by Arizonans for Clean and Accountable Elections, is in response to Senate Bill 1516, a recently passed […]
Signatures are being collected to put a campaign finance initiative on the Arizona state ballot this November.
The initiative, filed on April 12 by Arizonans for Clean and Accountable Elections, is in response to Senate Bill 1516, a recently passed campaign finance bill taking effect in 2017. “Our initiative addresses the most egregious parts of [Senate Bill] 1516,” said Samantha Pstross, the chairperson of committee putting forth the issue, according to the Herald Dispatch.
Senate Bill 1516 allows groups registered with the IRS as social welfare organizations to withhold disclosing donor information, removes spending caps on expenditures for political fundraisers, and allows for candidate-to-candidate transfers of campaign funds. The initiative increases disclosure of political activity, lowers contribution limits, and prevents contributions between candidates. Additionally, lobbyists would be required to disclose all meals purchased for elected officials and would be prohibited from paying travel expenses for them, according to the Herald Dispatch.
State law requires 150,000 valid signatures to have the initiative placed on the November ballot.
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