Dark money. The name itself carries ominous undertones, undertones that critics of this relatively new campaign-finance phenomenon claim reflect a genuine threat to democracy. Its defenders, on the other hand, argue that the dark money approach to funding political campaigns is merely an extension of Americans’ basic right to free speech. In other words, the issues at hand could hardly be more profound.
Since statehood in 1912, Arizona has been among the nation’s leaders in using the initiative process to either adopt a statute or amend the state constitution by placing a measure on the ballot. But such efforts are anything but easy. In fact, organizers have found it to be an expensive, time-consuming and exhausting process – and one that is unlikely to end successfully. This briefing looks at the initiative process in Arizona since statehood in 1912, including its success/failure rate and proposals for reform.
Predicting the future can be risky business, but demographics tell us there is one irrefutable element in Arizona’s future - the disproportionate growth in young Latino citizens. Latinos constitute Arizona’s most rapidly growing ethnicity and could represent more than 50 percent of Arizona’s population by mid-century. The ramifications will be profound, with major impacts to be felt in the healthcare industries, at all levels of education, the workforce population and in state budgeting - just to cite a few.
Historically, the prominence of affluent groups and individuals among the contributors to state political campaigns has given rise to fear of a government of “checkbook democracy,” in which successful lawmakers are obligated to those who contribute large sums of money.