1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose SCR1002 when it comes before the Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee on Wednesday. This resolution would double the anonymous donation threshold from $100 to $200, making Arizona's campaign finance system less transparent at a time when voters have clearly demanded more accountability. In 2022, Arizona voters overwhelmingly approved the Voters Right to Know Act, a dark-money disclosure law that strengthened transparency requirements. SCR1002 moves in the opposite direction, allowing twice as many contributions to escape public scrutiny. This directly contradicts the will of Arizona voters who used the ballot box to demand greater transparency in political spending. The sponsor's justification that transparency has a "chilling effect" on donations echoes arguments currently being used by right-wing operatives in lawsuits attempting to invalidate the Voters Right to Know Act. This framing treats money as protected speech requiring anonymity, a position Arizona voters rejected when they passed stronger disclosure requirements just three years ago. A similar bill was vetoed in 2023, demonstrating that this approach has already been deemed harmful to Arizona's democratic process. Doubling the anonymous donation threshold would allow more money to flow through our political system without public accountability. When constituents cannot see who is funding campaigns, they cannot make informed decisions about whose interests their elected officials truly represent. This is particularly concerning given Arizona's history with dark money influencing elections. Campaign finance transparency protects voters' ability to evaluate potential conflicts of interest and hold elected officials accountable. SCR1002 would weaken these protections by expanding the zone of anonymity, making it harder for Arizonans to follow the money in their elections. I ask you to vote no on SCR1002 in committee and prevent this resolution from reaching the ballot. Arizona voters have already spoken clearly on this issue by passing the Voters Right to Know Act. We need more transparency in campaign finance, not less.