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BY: GLORIA REBECCA GOMEZ –
Two conservative groups are suing to block Proposition 211, which targets dark money in elections, arguing that it violates the constitutional right to freedom of speech.
Prop. 211, dubbed the ‘Voters Right to Know Act,”was approved by an overwhelming majority of Arizona voters in November and became law earlier this month after the election was certified on Dec. 5.
The act promised increased transparency in politics by enacting new reporting thresholds. A campaign spending more than $50,000 in media messages to support a statewide or legislative candidate or a ballot proposition is now required to disclose contributors who give at least $5,000. In local elections, donors who give $2,500 or more to a campaign spending over $25,000 would be likewise revealed.
The Center for Arizona Policy and the Arizona Free Enterprise Club are asking a judge to find Prop. 211 unconstitutional, saying that being forced to disclose the source of their contributions violates the rights of their donors and restricts their willingness to engage in political activities.
“The Act violates Arizonans’ right to speak freely by chilling donors from supporting causes they believe in and wish to support, lest their charitable giving become public knowledge,” reads the brief. “It also impairs the speech of nonprofit organizations … because those organizations will be compelled to refrain from speaking or engaging in public dialogue to avoid compromising the privacy of their donors.”
