2017 Annual Report ARIZONA ADVOCACY NETWORK & FOUNDATION

Transcription

1 2017 Annual Report ARIZONA ADVOCACY NETWORK & FOUNDATION

2 Letter from the Executive Director 2017 was an alarming year for the future of American democracy. From President Trump s sudden firing of FBI Director James Comey, to constant attacks on the free press, to a drumbeat of falsehoods aimed at undermining confidence in our election systems and justifying voter suppression laws, the underpinnings of our democracy were challenged to a degree we have not seen in a very long time. At the same time, these challenges sparked renewed interest in the basic principles of democracy across America. Laying at the heart of many of the critiques of President Trump s behavior that have arisen from across the ideological spectrum is a defense of democratic principles. Our democratic norms are still being threatened to an alarming degree, but I am heartened to see so many ordinary Americans standing up to defend our democracy. As with so many issues, the most effective locus for pro-democracy action is at the state and local levels. Here in Arizona, policies that would put even more power in the hands of the already-powerful continue to find a friendly reception at the state Capitol saw serious and coordinated attacks on our ballot measure process, in direct retaliation for the voters decision to raise the minimum wage in Yet we also have real opportunities to advance the cause of democracy in 2018 and beyond. Democracy depends on all of us to defend it. Thank you for standing alongside us in this struggle. Thanks to you, we are ready to seize the opportunities presented in 2018, and to confront the inevitable challenges. Onward, Joel Edman Executive Director Arizona Advocacy Network and Foundation

3 Who We Are Since 2002, Arizona Advocacy Network and Arizona Advocacy Foundation have been devoted to defending and deepening Arizona s commitment to democracy. Our vision is a truly representative political system in which all Arizonans make their voices heard. We believe the cornerstones of such a democracy are meaningful voting rights and access to the ballot, political decisions driven by voters instead of money, and a fair and independent judiciary. We provide a clear and consistent voice for that vision at the Arizona Legislature, the Secretary of State s and County Recorders Offices, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, and when necessary, in court. We are fighting back against voter suppression tactics and advocating to modernize outdated election rules that keep citizens from voting. We are working to protect and strengthen disclosure requirements and other rules that curtail the rapidlyincreasing influence of mega-donors and special interests. We are holding the line against dangerous attacks on our courts. We know that often the difference between a passive citizen and an engaged activist is a simple lack of information, and a core component of our work is educating voters across the state on issues affecting the integrity and vibrancy of Arizona s democracy. We regularly serve as a source of expertise for journalists reporting on democracy issues. Defending democracy is a big job, and we cannot do this work alone. We are proud to work hand-in-hand with other pro-democracy organizations through the One Arizona and Arizona Wins civic engagement and advocacy coalitions. We are humbled by the support of our members, a group of incredible advocates who share our vision and have joined the fight for democracy.

4 2017 Legislative Session Recap The First Regular Session of the Fifty-Third Arizona Legislature proved to be a long, grueling one hundred and twenty-two days of defending democracy. We fought back against the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and other special interests in their quest to severely weaken ballot measures, defeated the potential defunding of Clean Elections, and helped stop a whole host of other anti-voter bills. ATTACKS ON THE INITIATIVE PROCESS Initiatives and Referenda have been an integral part of Arizona government since statehood and special interests have been attacking these tools of direct democracy for just as long. As early as 1916, the legislature tried to get the voters to weaken their ability to use ballot measures. Unsurprisingly, the voters said no. As they say, history doesn t repeat, but it rhymes. In November 2016, 58% of Arizona voters chose to raise the minimum wage and give working Arizonans the right to paid sick time. Arizona Chamber of Commerce president Glenn Hamer called this a wake up call, and the Chamber decided it was time to dramatically weaken the voters state constitutional right to the initiative process. We fought back in no small part because virtually every significant progressive reform to Arizona s democracy open primaries, Clean Elections, independent redistricting, merit selection of judges, campaign contribution limits, even female suffrage was brought about through ballot initiatives, and we know that initiatives will be crucial to future reform efforts as well. We joined in coalition with the Arizona Wins Labor Unity Table, Arizona Education Association, ProgressNow Arizona, Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, League of Women Voters Arizona, Animal Defense League of Arizona, and others. Our

5 coalition lobbied legislators, held press conferences, testified in committees, canvassed neighborhoods, sponsored digital ads and calls to voters in their districts, and alerted our respective members and supporters to contact their legislators. One major prong of the attack on the initiative process was HB 2244, which purports to require courts and other officials to impose a strict compliance standard for all initiative measures. Strict compliance will mean that even after initiatives qualify for the ballot, they can be thrown out in court for minor technicalities like typos or voters making small mistakes in signing the petition. Countess hours of volunteer work and the voices of tens of thousands of Arizona voters may now be invalidated for the smallest of technicalities. Upon signing HB 2244, Governor Ducey touted the bill as commonsense legislation [that] preserves the integrity of the [initiative] process. Arizona Republican Party Chairman Jonathan Lines was more transparent, saying the law would make it possible for ballot initiatives to be thrown out for minor errors regarding language and paperwork. This fight is not over. We argued to legislators that HB 2244 violated the separation of powers by telling courts how to interpret the Arizona Constitution, and we have joined in a lawsuit challenging the law on that same ground (see below). IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY Many other initiative restrictions were stopped thanks to our efforts and those of our partners, including a crop of onerous new fines and fees that would have further added to the cost of initiative campaigns, a rule giving the legislature the power to make retroactive rules for paid circulators (effectively allowing the legislature to invalidate already-collected signatures), and requiring ballot measure campaigns reach a separate signature threshold in every one of the 30 legislative districts, rather than a statewide total.

6 Legislators also took aim at the Voter Protection Act (VPA), which helps to protect the will of the voters when they enact laws via the ballot. Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-23) sponsored three pieces of legislation related to the VPA. HCR 2002 and HCR 2007 would have asked the voters to repeal the VPA, in full and in part, respectively, while HB 2320 would have required ballot measure campaigns to put an inaccurate disclaimer about the VPA on their campaign materials. This was a clear attempt to scare voters into voting against ideas they might otherwise support. Each of these measures passed the House on a party-line vote only to stall out in the Senate. Senator Grade Senator Grade Allen, S. (LD 6) D Kavanagh (LD 23) F Barto (LD 15) D Lesko (LD 21) D Borelli (LD 5) D Mendez (LD 26) A Bowie (LD 18) B Meza (LD 30) B Bradley (LD 10) B Miranda (LD 27) B Brophy McGee (LD 28) C Montenegro (LD 13) D Burges (LD 22) D Otondo (LD 4) B Cajero Bedford (LD 3) B Peshlakai (LD 7) B Contreras (LD 19) B Peterson (LD 12) D Dalessandro (LD 2) B Pratt (LD 8) D Fann (LD 1) D Quezada (LD 29) A Farley (LD 9) A Smith (LD 11) D Farnsworth, D. (LD 16) D Worsley (LD 25) D Griffin (LD 14) D Yarbrough (LD 17) D Hobbs (LD 24) B Yee (LD 20) D AT THE END OF THE DAY After a chaotic legislative session, we published our firstever Legislative Report Card, rating each member of the legislature on their votes on measures related to access to the ballot, the effects of money in politics, and fair and independent courts. Four legislators stood out for their work to improve our elections: Representatives Athena Salman (LD 26) and Ken Clark (LD 24), and Senators Juan Mendez (LD 26) and Martin Quezada (LD 29).

7 Representative Grade Representative Grade Representative Grade Representative Grade Allen, J. (LD 15) D Clodfelter (LD 10) D Hernandez (LD 2) B Rios (LD 27) B Alston (LD 24) B Cobb (LD 5) D John (LD 14) F Rivero (LD 21) D Andrade (LD 29) A Coleman (LD 16) D Kern (LD 20) D Rubalcava (LD 4) B Barton (LD 6) D Cook (LD 8) D Lawrence (LD 23) D Saldate (LD 3) B Benally (LD 7) B Descheenie (LD 7) B Leach (LD 11) F Salman (LD 26) A Blanc (LD 26) A Engel (LD 10) B Livingston (LD 22) D Shooter (LD 13) F Bolding (LD 27) B Epstein (LD 18) B Martinez (LD 30) A Shope (LD 8) D Bowers (LD 25) D Espinoza (LD 19) B Mesnard (LD 17) D Stringer (LD 1) D Boyer (LD 20) D Farnsworth, E. (LD 12) D Mitchell (LD 13) D Syms (LD 28) D Butler (LD 28) B Fernandez (LD 4) A Mosley (LD 5) D Thorpe (LD 6) F Campbell (LD 1) D Finchem (LD 11) D Navarette (LD 30) B Townsend (LD 16) D Cardenas (LD19) B Friese (LD 9) A Norgaard (LD 18) D Udall (LD 25) D Carter (LD 15) C Gabaldon (LD 2) B Nutt (LD 14) D Ugenti-Rita (LD 23) F Chavez (LD 29) B Gonzales (LD 3) B Payne (LD 21) D Weninger (LD 27) F Clark (LD 24) A Grantham (LD 12) D Powers Hanley (LD 9) B The attacks on voters did not go away upon the conclusion of the legislative session in May. Many of these ideas - and more - will be back in Arizona Advocacy stands ready to defend the rights of voters at the State Capitol. Protecting Local Democracy 2017 was a standout year for protecting local democracy in Arizona. First, we finally saw the end of a years-long struggle for Tempe to establish its own local campaign contribution limits, becoming the first locality to do so since the legislature imposed sky-high limits on cities and towns across the state. The limits in place as recently as the 2012 elections served to ensure that no candidate could be funded entirely by a handful of wealthy donors and special interest groups. For example, an individual could give no more than $430 to a city council candidate. But after the legislature s recent actions, that same limit is now $6,350! Tempe and its leadership were rightly worried about what this dramatic increase in contribution limits would mean for their local elections, so they unanimously proposed a new set of local limits which the voters approved in March 2016 by a whopping 88% of the vote. Yet for the next fourteen months, Governor Ducey employed an obscure state constitutional provision to block the limits from going into effect. We supported Tempe s efforts to win his approval for the measure, and are pleased to report Ducey finally signed

8 off on the measure in May The new limits are in effect now, just in time for Tempe's March and May 2018 elections. The March election will feature a referendum that would be another step further in protecting local democracy from outside influence. Prop. 403 is a Charter Amendment that would require outside spending groups to disclose the original sources of their money. We worked hard to help the Tempe City Council craft this measure and are looking forward to its passage by the voters. These victories matter not only in Tempe, but across the state. There are 19 charter cities in Arizona, from Flagstaff to Nogales, and 8 of the state s 10 most populous communities, like Phoenix and Tucson, are charter cities. Any of those charter cities can create their own rules to protect their own local democracies. With the legislature moving our state in the opposite direction, charter cities have an especially important role to play. Fighting Back in Court AZAN became involved in two lawsuits last year: one to fight back against HB 2244, the new strict compliance law for initiatives, and the other to protect Clean Elections from a sweeping campaign finance deregulation measure that the legislature passed in STRICT COMPLIANCE HB 2244 Of all the new rules Governor Ducey and the legislature imposed this year, perhaps the most dangerous is telling courts and other officials they have to apply a "strict compliance" standard to initiatives. Simply put, "strict compliance" means tossing out qualified initiatives based on minor technicalities. It's also beyond the legislature's constitutional authority, as we told lawmakers over and over again. The Arizona Supreme Court has been asked time and again to apply "strict compliance" to initiatives, but has declined to do so based on its reading of the initiative power in the Arizona Constitution. By enacting H.B. 2244, the legislature and Governor attempted to overrule the Court's longstanding interpretation of the Arizona Constitution. Imagine if the legislature passed and the Governor signed a bill to take away the Miranda rights, or to overrule the courtmandated "one person, one vote" rule. Those bills would obviously violate the separation of powers by intruding on the judiciary's authority. This is no different. We're proud to stand alongside other organizations and individuals in this suit to preserve Arizonans constitutional right to direct democracy and our constitutional system of separation of powers. At the time of this writing, we are awaiting a ruling from the Arizona Court of Appeals.

9 CAMPAIGN FINANCE OVERHAUL SB 1516 The Arizona Clean Elections system is akin to the Grand Canyon or the smell of creosote after a monsoon rain - it's distinctly Arizonan and a source of state pride. When Arizona's voters created Clean Elections back in 1998, we changed our state's politics for the better. Clean Elections empowers ordinary Arizonans to run for office and promotes transparency and public confidence in our elections. Overseeing the program is an independent bipartisan Commission empowered to enforce the law, so that even powerful interests have to adhere to the same rules of the road as everyone else. Unsurprisingly, those interests have been scheming to end Clean Elections ever since it was created. In 2016, they saw one of their biggest victories in that crusade a new law that opened the door to virtually unlimited secret corporate political spending, while trying to handcuff the Clean Elections Commission from enforcing the law. Thankfully, Arizona s Constitution includes a Voter Protection Act (VPA) to stop politicians from undoing the laws we've passed at the ballot box. That protection is especially vital for reforms like Clean Elections that restore power to the people, and that will never be popular among the powerful. In this case, Clean Elections' opponents didn't bother to comply with the VPA. Instead, they passed SB 1516 over bipartisan opposition and with the smallest possible majority of 31 votes in the House. In doing so, they violated the Arizona Constitution. This case is still in the early stages of litigation.

10 Coalition Building As both a member and a leader of coalitions of different scales, we re fortunate that we don t have to take on the job of defending democracy on our own. Arizona Advocacy Network is a member of Arizona Wins, a coalition of progressive advocacy organizations and labor unions dedicated to improving public policy for working families in Arizona. Our partnership with Arizona Wins played a pivotal role in our presence at the legislature during the HB 2404 and HB 2244 fights, allowing us to work in coalition to lessen the damage contained in the original versions of these bills. Arizona Advocacy Foundation, is one of 17 members of the One Arizona civic engagement coalition. During the 2017 legislative session, we tracked bills that would affect One Arizona s voter registration and outreach work, as well as bills that would impact Arizona s immigrant community for One Arizona. We would provide action alerts to One Arizona members when at important moments to engage. Community Engagement REQUEST TO SPEAK OUTREACH & TRAININGS In 2017, we traveled throughout the state to train audiences at political and community groups about how to use the Request to Speak system at the Arizona Legislature. Request to Speak is a system housed within the Arizona Legislature s website that allows for the public to weigh in on legislation while it is being heard in committee. Throughout the year, we held over 30 trainings and signed up over 300 individuals to use the Request to Speak system. We sincerely believe that our democracy works best when more people participate, and that involvement in the legislative process is an incredibly important step in realizing our goal of a fully participatory democracy.

11 HAPPY HOURS Arizona Advocacy Network continued its tradition of hosting bimonthly happy hours for community members and supporters to attend free of charge. In 2017, these well-attended events were held throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area and in Tucson and were great opportunities for AZAN supporters new and old to come together to hear about the important work being done to protect Arizona s democracy. Each event featured a guest speaker ranging from lawmakers who choose Clean Elections financing, to the teams of attorneys representing us in each of our ongoing lawsuits. ROAST OF MARICOPA COUNTY RECORDER ADRIAN FONTES In May, we hosted over 300 guests at our Roast of Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes. Highlights of the evening include a Fontes-themed rendition of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, a hilarious debate between Senator Katie Hobbs and Secretary of State Michele Reagan and two separate songs written and performed by Adrian Fontes himself. We are so proud to have brought together such an amazing group of leaders in our fight for improved access to the ballot and voting rights.

12 AWARDS BREAKFAST At our Annual Awards Breakfast, we had the incredible opportunity to honor three amazing defenders of democracy in Arizona: One Arizona, Anabel Maldonado, and Terry Goddard. Whether it's registering new voters and empowering them to add their voices to our democracy, organizing voters in their own communities to stand up for their rights, or working to guarantee all voters can know who is trying to influence their votes, this group truly lives up to the name "Arizona Advocates." STUDENT VOTE FORUM In November of 2017, Arizona Advocacy Foundation partnered with the Arizona Students Association at Arizona State University to host a Student Vote Forum. Led by one of our interns, the forum was designed to create a platform for university students and community leaders to have a discussion about the issues that young people face in access to the ballot. Arizona Advocacy Foundation and Arizona Students Association selected community leaders with unique perspectives on the student vote.

13 Media Exposure Arizona Advocacy Network continued to serve as a go-to non-partisan source for media outlets covering election issues. AZAN was featured in the media over two dozen times this year by a variety of media outlets. Some highlights include appearances from our Executive Director on KJZZ s The Show, 12News Sunday Square Off, and Arizona PBS Horizon. Additionally, we published two My Turn op-ed pieces in the Arizona Republic. A full listing of media mentions is included in the Media Appendix on Page 12. Looking Ahead to was pivotal year of growth and transformation for Arizona Advocacy Network and Foundation. We trained an incredible team of interns, expanded our staff capacity by 50%, and continued to cultivate a reputation as a respected and tireless defender of democracy. Despite this progress, 2017 also saw the passage of laws designed to suppress the vote, undermine the Clean Elections system, and politicize the courts. Arizona Advocacy Network and Foundation with the help of our friends and supporters and our organizational allies goes into 2018 as vigilant as ever, and ready to do whatever it takes to expand access to the ballot, mitigate the influence of money in politics, and insure fairness in our courts. Defending democracy is tireless work, and we re ready for it.

14 Media Appendix Outlet Date Link KJZZ - The Show November 16 Arizona Advocacy and Others File Suit Against Dark Money Bill The Arizona Daily Sun November 16 Lawsuit Challenges Dark Money Growth NPR - KNAU November 16 Groups Sue Over Arizona Law Expanding Dark Money in Campaigns Arizona Republic November 10 Update: Tempe will send 'dark money' measure to voters in spring Arizona Republic September 15 Arizona agencies feud over policing 'dark money' groups; voters could be the losers Arizona Capitol Times August 4 6 Arizonans object to Trump s voter fraud panel, cancel their registration PBS - Horizon July 13 Lawsuit Against Initiative Law Arizona Capitol Times July 12 Trial on citizen initiative restrictions gets underway Arizona Republic May 8 Lobbyists can break Phoenix rules without any penalty - - and the City Council has done nothing to stop it Arizona Republic April 17 My Turn: Stop the lies about Clean Elections Arizona Republic March 30 Kwok: Will someone sue over ballot initiative reform? KJZZ - The Show March 30 Battle Over Citizen Initiatives Continues At State Capitol Arizona Republic March 27 Late-arriving bill aims to tighten Arizona ballot-initiative rules even more Arizona 12 News February 27 Arizona Republicans' bills take aim at voter rights Sunday Square Off Arizona Republic February 23 Arizona House passes bills to restrict citizen initiatives Arizona Republic February 21 My Turn: The continued undermining of Arizona voters rights Arizona s Family February 12 Politics Unplugged Politics Unplugged Public News Service February 9 Bills to Reform Voter Initiatives Heard at Capitol Today Arizona Capitol Times February 3 A raft of bills would make Arizona s initiative process more difficult Arizona Republic January 31 How the wrong letterhead exposed Phoenix's toothless lobbying rules Arizona Capitol Times January 16 Advocate says bill would prevent students from voting in Arizona

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