On a daily basis, the non-partisan, non-profit Clean Elections Institute works to preserve, protect and defend Arizona’s groundbreaking, voter-approved Clean Elections Act at the legislature, in the media, in the community, in the courts and at the ballot.

We monitor the actions of the Arizona Legislature to guard against bills that would harm or gut the Clean Elections Act. Our work includes advocating for positive legislative changes to make the Act more user-friendly for both participating and non-participating candidates.  

We also act in a watchdog role at the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, the state agency responsible for administration of the Clean Elections system.   In this role, we advocate for swift, fair and legally appropriate resolution of enforcement actions brought before commissioners.

We offer comment on news events involving Clean Elections.   We keep key members of the Arizona Capitol Press Corps up to speed on issues relating to Clean Elections.   We arrange talk show appearances, write op-ed pieces and letters-to-the-editor.   We maintain a corps of volunteer writers to supplement this effort.

The Institute employs a full-time outreach coordinator to help educate the public on Clean Elections and how the system helps extend the benefits of democracy, encourages participation and promotes access to Arizona state government.   A major part of outreach is building the Institute’s network of allied organizations, providing voter education to members while generating additional, broad-based support for Clean Elections.

Our outreach efforts include special attention to Arizona’s Latino communities.   While Arizona’s Latino population now exceeds 30 percent (and continues to grow rapidly), Participation of Latino voters and candidates in the political process is lagging.

The Institute acts as an informational and inspirational resource for candidates and potential candidates.   We offer one-on-one training on the Clean Elections system for candidates and their campaign staffs, including practical advice on running a successful campaign.   We also speak to numerous civic groups and community organizations to build awareness of Clean Elections and the opportunities it provides to Arizona citizens.

The Institute also serves as a resource for advocates in other cities and states moving to implement their own Clean Elections programs.   In 2005, the Institute has provided assistance and encouragement to activists in more than two dozen other states.

Since approval by voters in 1998, the Citizens Clean Elections Act has been the target of numerous legal attacks in state and federal courts.   The Institute has intervened in several cases to help defend the Act.   In 2004, the Institute was directly responsible for knocking off the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment which would have gutted the Act.  

In both 2002 and 2004, the Institute’s 501-c-4 Action Fund was the driving force behind keeping harmful propositions off the ballot.   The Institute continues working to make sure that no measure to gut or repeal Clean Elections either passes the Legislature or appears on the ballot.

We are told that a well-written narrative demands a beginning, middle, and an end.   But the story of Clean Elections in Arizona, while it has a beginning and middle, will lack an ending.   How can a conclusion be written when this new system has proved itself uniquely successful only here in Arizona, where the citizens have elected the first governor of any state who has campaigned entirely as a Clean Elections candidate?   The new Clean Elections Act will continue to influence the path of elections in Arizona and will be emulated by other states, anxious to see in their elections the same move away from special interest campaign funding and toward increased opportunity for the introduction of new ideas into the political marketplace.   So the Clean Elections story cannot and will not end.   But we can learn how it began…

Click here for complete history.

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