SPECIAL INTERESTS PUSH TO OVERTURN WILL OF THE VOTERS
As special interests and a team of highly paid lobbyists work furiously to kill the Clean Elections Act – a groundbreaking initiative supported by 7 out of Arizona 10 voters – a Web site debuts today to keep the public informed about the actions being taken to silence the voice of voters.
SaveCleanElections.com will feature news updates, activist tools and a page to sign up for breaking news and information about the nonpartisan coalition supporting this grassroots effort.
“For more than a decade, Clean Elections has offered candidates who choose not to take special interest money a chance at a fair fight," said Bonnie Saunders, President of the League of Women Voters of Arizona. "Killing this system would be tantamount to turning elections over to corporations, lobbyists and fat-cat CEOs. Legislators are disregarding the will of Arizonans who voted for this initiative. That's simply disgraceful."
Clean Elections has been a staple of Arizona politics since voters approved it in 1998. Funding for Clean Elections campaigns does not come from the state’s General Fund; most of the funding comes from a surcharge on civil and criminal penalties. The rest comes from voluntary $5 contributions. In fact, Clean Elections has given back more than $20 million to the General Fund, helping reduce the state’s budget deficit every fiscal year.
For more information and to arrange interviews with organizers of this effort, please use the media contact above. Supporters of SaveCleanElections.com include:
League of Women Voters of Arizona
League of Women Voters of Metro Phoenix
Arizona Public Interest Research Group (AZ PIRG)
Clean Elections Institute
Arizona National Organization for Women
Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter
Arizona Hispanic Community Forum
Arizona Advocacy Network Foundation
