Federalism Committee Chair Calls on Congress to Allow States to Ban Foreign Spending in Elections to Protect Voices of Voters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                             

Monday, February 10, 2025

Federalism Committee Chair Calls on Congress to Allow States

to Ban Foreign Spending in Elections to Protect Voices of Voters

PHOENIX, ARIZONA— Senate Federalism Committee Chairman Mark Finchem is joining a national bipartisan effort calling on Congress to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, so that state legislatures may ban or limit foreign spending influencing state elections, with a goal of protecting the voices of voters.

SCR 1012, sponsored by Chairman Finchem, supports Congress taking action by proposing a constitutional amendment that, upon ratification, would provide states the ability to decide whether and how to regulate money in politics and protect their elections from foreign interference. Key impacts of such an amendment include the restoration of state sovereignty and the ability to defend against foreign influence with stricter controls on the flow of money and influence into Arizona's elections. SCR 1012 is scheduled for considered this afternoon in the Senate Committee on Federalism.

An alarming 75% of Arizonans believe that money from special interest groups who've never set foot in the Grand Canyon State have an outsized influence on the political process through massive donations. Decades of judicial overreach have effectively blocked state legislatures from addressing this problem, allowing billionaires, corporations, and foreign actors to have the final say on the outcomes of elections with their abilities to spend unlimited amounts of money, removing power from voters.

"In recent years, we’ve seen an increasing threat of foreign money and centralized control over election rules. It is time for Arizona to assert its commitment to federalism and the integrity of our system of self-government," said Chairman Finchem. "This resolution affirms Arizona’s support for a constitutional amendment that restores the ability of states to have campaign finance laws that protect the people of Arizona and their sovereign interest in self-government. Foreign actors, billionaires, and corporations that do not call Arizona home have no business impacting historic decisions that should be decided by Arizona citizens. I urge my colleagues at the legislature to join me in this national bipartisan movement by supporting SCR 1012."

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For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov