Opinion: Arizona showed what’s possible by requiring campaigns to disclose their donors. It’s time for a similar amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Jeff Clements opinion contributor
Attendees hold signs as they listen to speakers during a rally calling for an end to corporate money in politics and to mark the fifth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, at Lafayette Square near the White House, Jan. 21, in Washington, DC.
A century ago, Arizonans seeking statehood insisted on a state constitution to protect freedom — including votes for women, direct election of its U.S. senators and the citizen initiative and recall.
A decade later, America followed their lead, eventually amending the U.S. Constitution twice to secure the permanence of equal voting rights and Senate accountability to the voters.
Today, Arizona leads again.
After the U.S. Supreme Court stripped Arizona and other states of the power to choose how to manage the corruption of dark and unlimited money in elections, Arizona refused to stand down.
The state took the high court’s own reasoning — that campaign contributions are protected “free speech” but that disclosure is fine — and stepped up to the fight again.
