Campaign finance requirements for Arizona ballot measures
 in Arizona |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Arizona must adhere to the state's campaign finance laws. These laws regulate the amounts and sources of money given or received for political purposes; in addition, campaign finance laws stipulate disclosure requirements for political contributions and expenditures.
Proponents of more stringent regulations and disclosure requirements, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, claim that current laws do not go far enough to mitigate corruption and the influence of undisclosed special interests. Others, such as the Institute for Free Speech, argue that strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits impinge upon the rights to privacy and free expression.[1][2]
| In Arizona, a group that supports or opposes a ballot measure must register with the state as a political action committee. A political action committee can receive unlimited contributions from individuals, partnerships, corporations, other political action committees and political parties. |
The laws and regulations that apply to ballot measure campaigns may differ from those that apply to candidates for political office. To learn more about campaign finance requirements for candidates, see this article.
Arizona ballot measures
- See also: Ballot measure
A ballot measure is any question or issue that appears on an election ballot to be approved or rejected by voters. In 26 states, plus Washington, D.C., citizens may use the initiative and referendum process, which permits citizens to petition to place measures on the ballot and usually involves a signature collection process of some kind. Even in states without initiative and referendum processes, however, ballot measures exist. In all states, citizens may be asked to approve legislatively referred constitutional amendments, state statutes, bond issues or tax proposals.
In Arizona, ballot measures come in the following forms: legislatively referred state statutes, initiated state statutes, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, initiated constitutional amendments, and veto referenda.
Organizational requirements
In Arizona, a group that intends to "circulate petitions to place an initiative, referendum or recall election on the ballot" must register with the state as a political action committee and file regular disclosure reports. Likewise, a group that supports or opposes a ballot measure and meets both of the following criteria must also register as a political action committee and file regular disclosure reports:[3][4]
- "The group is organized, conducted or combined for the primary purpose of influencing the result of any election."
- "The group knowingly receives contributions or makes expenditures of more than $500 in connection with any election during a calendar year."
In order to form a committee, an individual or group must use the state's online campaign reporting system to create and file a statement of organization. That system can be accessed here. State law stipulates that "no committee activity may begin" until a statement of organization is submitted to the secretary of state.[3][5]
Contribution limits
A The table below details the contribution limits that apply to political action committees (PAC) in Arizona. The leftmost column indicates the contributor type while the second row from the top indicates the recipient type.[3][6]
| Campaign contribution limits for PACs in Arizona | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide candidate committee | Legislative candidate committee | Local candidate committee | PAC that gives to candidates | PAC that does not give to candidates | Political parties or political organizations | |
| A PAC may give as follows | $5,000 | $5,000 | $6,250 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State, "Arizona Campaign Finance Guide," July 2015 | ||||||
A political action committee can receive unlimited contributions from individuals, partnerships, corporations, other political action committees and political parties.[3][7]
Reporting requirements
Arizona state law requires any political committee to file regular campaign finance reports "in any calendar year during which there is a regularly scheduled election at which any candidates, measures, questions or propositions appear or may appear on the ballot." These reports provide details about the committee's receipts and expenditures during a given reporting period. The table below details the statutory filing schedule.[8]
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Arizona, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Reporting period | Filing deadline | |
| January 1 through May 31 | June 30 | |
| Pre-election (complete through the 20th day prior to the election) | Four days prior to the election | |
| Post-election (complete through the 20th day after the election | 30 days after the election | |
For all contributions exceeding $25, a committee must report the name, address, and employer/occupation of the donor. For all expenditures, regardless of the amount, a committee must report the name and address of the recipient.[9]
Year-specific reporting dates
2021–2022
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Arizona in 2021 and 2022.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Arizona, 2021 – 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing period |
| Quarterly report | January 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021 | April 1, 2021 – April 15, 2021 |
| Quarterly report | April 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021 | July 1, 2021 – July 15, 2021 |
| Quarterly report | July 1, 2021 – September 30, 2021 | October 1, 2021 – October 15, 2021 |
| Quarterly report | October 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 1, 2022 – January 15, 2022 |
| Quarterly report | January 01, 2022 – March 31, 2022 | April 1, 2022 – April 15, 2022 |
| Quarterly report | April 1, 2022 – June 30, 2022 | July 1, 2022 – July 15, 2022 |
| Pre-primary report | July 1, 2022 – July 16, 2022 | July 17, 2022 – July 23, 2022 |
| Post-primary report | July 17, 2022 – September 30, 2022 | October 1, 2022 – October 15, 2022 |
| Pre-general report | October 1, 2022 – October 22, 2022 | October 23, 2022 – October 29, 2022 |
| Post-general report | October 23, 2022 – December 31, 2022 | January 1, 2023 – January 17, 2023 |
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance & Reporting," accessed July 9, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Arizona in 2016.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Arizona, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| January 31 report | November 25, 2014 - December 31, 2015 | February 1, 2016 |
| June 30 report | January 1, 2016 - May 31, 2016 | June 30, 2016 |
| Pre-primary report | June 1, 2016 - August 18, 2016 | August 26, 2016 |
| Post-primary report | August 19, 2016 - September 19, 2016 | September 29, 2016 |
| Pre-general report | September 20, 2016 - October 27, 2016 | November 4, 2016 |
| Post-general report | October 28, 2016 - November 28, 2016 | December 8, 2016 |
| Source: Arizona Secretary of State, "Arizona Campaign Finance Guide," July 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Arizona
In Arizona, there are two primary agencies involved in campaign finance regulation: the Arizona Secretary of State and the Arizona Attorney General. The former oversees campaign finance reporting requirements for candidates and political committees. The latter can levy penalties against candidates and committees who violate campaign finance laws.[3]
- Arizona Secretary of State, Elections Division
- 1700 W. Washington St., Fl. 7
- Phoenix, Arizona 85007-2808
- Telephone: 602-542-8683
- Arizona Attorney General
- 1275 W. Washington St.
- Phoenix, Arizona 85007-2926
- Telephone: (602) 542-1610
- Email: aginfo@azag.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Arizona state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arizona campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Arizona
- Campaign finance agencies in Arizona
- List of Arizona ballot measures
External links
Additional reading
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Arizona Secretary of State, "Arizona Campaign Finance Guide," July 2015
- ↑ Arizona Revised Statutes, "Section 16-902.01," accessed November 24, 2015
- ↑ Arizona Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance - Log In," accessed November 24, 2015
- ↑ Arizona Revised Statutes, "Section 16-905," accessed November 24, 2015
- ↑ Arizona Revised Statutes, "Section 16-905," accessed November 24, 2015
- ↑ Arizona Revised Statutes, "Section 16-913," accessed November 24, 2015
- ↑ Institute for Justice, "Campaign Finance Red Tape: Strangling Free Speech and Political Debate," October 2007
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