Organisation : Citizens Clean Elections Commission Arizona
Facility : Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ)
Country : United States
State : Arizona
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ) : http://www.azcleanelections.gov/voters/faqs
Home Page : http://www.azcleanelections.gov/home
How does Clean elections work? :
** Allows more Arizona citizens the ability to run for office
** Reduces the influence of interest money, making the officeholders beholden to the voters and not special interest groups
** Allows officeholders to spend less time raising funds and more time representing the public
** Provides informational tools to voters about candidates running for office, such as the candidate debates and candidate statement pamphlet
Where does the Citizens Clean Elections Commission get their funding? :
** 10% surcharge on all civil penalties and criminal fines
** Civil penalties paid by candidates
** $5 qualifying contributions collected from participating candidates
How does the Clean Elections Commission spend their funding? :
The Commission distributes funds to participating candidates once in the primary election cycle and once in the general election cycle. The Commission is statutorily mandated to spend no more than 10% of its funding on administration/enforcement and 10% on voter education. The voter education plan includes sending a candidate statement pamphlet to every home in the State with a registered voter for both the primary and general elections, sponsoring legislative and statewide candidate debates as well as traveling around the State conducting participating candidate workshops.
How can I get involved? :
Donate $5 to the candidate or candidates of your choice – tell them how you feel about the issues; let them know what is important to you.
Volunteer to collect $5 donations – candidates for the legislature must collect a minimum of 250 $5 donations from 250 different people. Help the candidate or candidates that you support by volunteering to collect the donations.
Host a $5 party for your candidates – individuals may host parties at their homes for candidates participating in the Clean Elections system. Every adult member of the household may spend up to $100 on food, drinks and invitations and it does not count as a donation.
Volunteer to collect petition signatures – candidates must get a certain number of signatures to ensure that they will be on the ballot Decide what works best for you and do it. This is your state. Let your voice be heard!
Attend a candidate debate. The Commission hosts legislative debates throughout Arizona. See calendar section for schedule.
Who is eligible for Clean Elections funding? :
All state legislative candidates as well as all statewide office candidates are eligible for funding from Clean Elections. They must meet certain requirements, among them collecting a certain number of $5 qualifying contributions and agreeing not to accept contributions from PACs and corporations.
I hear people say that this program is nothing more than “tax dollars for politicians.” Is this true? :
No. The candidates who qualify for clean elections funding do not receive any money from the general fund