Political advertisements in Arizona must now disclose their top three funding sources, according to a new rule announced last Friday by the Clean Elections Commission (CEC).
New political advertisements placed in Arizona will be required to disclose the top three funding sources used to place the ads, per the new rule. All forms of political advertising, including TV, radio, and printed mailers sent to homes, are included.
Television advertisements must now disclose disclose their benefactors visually and orally, per The Arizona Capitol Times, which explained that the beginning or end of each political commercial must now contain information about the ad’s financing, both on screen and in audio.
The disclosure text must also represent at least 4 percent of the total screen, meaning a screen that is 24 inches high will offer disclosure text about one inch tall. An oral recitation of an advertisement’s sponsors can be avoided if the disclosure text is on screen for one sixth of the ad’s total run time, which the outlet notes would be five seconds of a 30-second commercial.
As with television commercials, political ads placed on billboards are also required to dedicate 4 percent of their available real estate to the disclosure, the outlet explained. Likewise, ads delivered by hand or mail must have a “clearly readable” disclosure.
Without a visual medium, political radio ads must disclose their primary funding sources at the beginning or end of the commercial.
The rule also includes social media posts and text messages, according to The Arizona Daily Star, which reported that CEC will require “a clickable link that will take the reader to a page with the required information,” as character limits and other restrictions may make full disclosure unrealistic on some social media platforms. However, CEC will require the link to be devoid of political messaging, and only show the pertinent disclosure.
CEC executive director Tom Collins said the rule came about following a public referendum in 2022 that saw voters request more transparency in campaign financing, according to The Daily Star . After court cases quickly stymied that referendum, the outlet explained, the CCEC was tasked with creating a rule that passes court muster and the will of Arizona voters.
Established by the Citizens Clean Elections Act of 1998, the CEC is a five member commission aimed at improving the integrity of Arizona state government and public confidence in the state’s elections.
Among other duties, CEC typically holds debates between statewide candidates. In 2022, then-candidate Katie Hobbs chose not to participate in a debate against former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who heaped praise on the group for attempting to “move things around” to “make a debate happen” in 2022, then interviewing her after Hobbs chose not to appear.
The group also drew headlines when it took legal action against Clean Elections USA, a conservative group that organized ballot drop box monitors in Arizona during the 2022 elections. CEC asserted that Clean Elections USA infringed on its trademark, and could have confused Arizona voters.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News and a reporter for the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
