Jeff Clements, CEO of American Promise, issued the following statement in reaction to passage of SCR 1012 through the Senate Federalism Committee in Arizona:

“Arizonans should have the final say in determining the direction of their state—and the power to control their own elections. It is outrageous that campaign finance laws enable special interest groups and foreign actors to influence elections. However, decades of misguided Supreme Court decisions removed the power of states to control whether and how election spending is regulated. As American Promise has reported, foreign entities pour millions of dollars into races up and down the ballot, advancing their own narrow—and sometimes harmful—agendas while undermining the voice of U.S. voters. 

“Thank you to Senator Mark Finchem for his leadership in introducing SCR 1012, which calls for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to give states the power to regulate election spending. This resolution puts Arizona first by reclaiming the state’s power to determine its own election rules and by giving it the ability to prevent foreign interference in local and state races. 76% of Arizonans favor this constitutional amendment. 

“If the resolution continues to proceed in the legislature, Arizona will join 22 other states in supporting the constitutional amendment. Legislators have the opportunity to stand up for their sovereignty and defend against foreign interference by supporting SCR 1012.”