By Jeremy Duda | Arizona Mirror
The controversial Clean Elections rules that led Republican lawmakers to attempt to curb the agency’s authority through Proposition 306 may be here to stay, even if voters approve the measure.
Prop. 306 would subject the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, which administers the state’s public campaign financing system, to the same regulatory rulemaking restrictions as other state agencies, including oversight by the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council (GRRC), whose members are appointed by the governor.
Republican lawmakers included that provision in the measure in response to a years-long fight between the Secretary of State’s Office and the commission over the extent of its regulatory authority over outside independent expenditure groups that spend money in Arizona elections.
Under state law, “dark money” groups and other outside campaign committees must file campaign finance reports for each quarter and for other designated reporting periods during election years. However, the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission requires them to report that spending more promptly: within 24 hours during the two weeks before an election, and by the following Tuesday outside that two-week window.
