Sen. John Kavanagh is giving up on what he called a “common sense” election law change that would have hidden the identities of many more contributors to Arizona campaigns, Arizona Capitol Times reports.
Currently, if a contribution of $50 or more is made, it’s the responsibility of campaign committee officials to report donor information to the state. By increasing the threshold from $50 to $100, SB1023 would have hidden the identity of roughly three out of every four donors to campaigns, according to an analysis provided to Kavanagh by the Secretary of State’s Office.
Some of Kavanagh’s fellow Republicans questioned the wisdom of hiding so many contributors from voters during a caucus meeting on Jan. 23, among them Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, R-Phoenix, who told Arizona Capitol Times that it’s important to disclose campaign contributors no matter what amount they contribute.
Sen. Steve Smith, R-Maricopa, also indicated he would likely vote against the bill, and later said he’d prefer to “err on the side of transparency.”
With Democrats united in opposition against the bill, which they criticized as not transparent in a Jan. 18 committee hearing, Kavanagh could not afford to lose two or more votes from his own caucus, Cap Times stated
