Reform Party of Arizona
Campaign Finance Reform Platform for National Candidates

The Executive Committee and at least 70% of the entire State Committee of the RPA have provisionally approved this document for publication. It is proposed for formal approval at the next Reform Party of Arizona State Convention. This platform applies to candidates seeking to represent Arizona in the United States Senate and House of Representatives. In recognition of the distinctly different constitutional roles played by national and state/local elected officials, a separate platform will be developed for state and local candidates.

Please address all questions, comments, and suggestions to: weyrich_comp@yahoo.com.


Preamble

In accordance with Article I of the RPUSA Constitution, we will strive for the highest ethical standards. However, we also have the Duty and Obligation to all members not to install anything in the platform that will hinder Reform Party candidates.

The source of the corruption of our political system that causes so many of our people to turn away in disgust or to adopt an attitude of cynicism instead of optimism is not money, but rather the source of that money. Money is merely the megaphone. The Reform Party holds that government of, by, and for the people cannot endure when our political conversation is controlled and polluted by corporations interested in profits instead of the best interests of the American people. We believe that the provisions of the First Amendment were primarily designed to protect the political speech of individual citizens. We also believe that individual citizens have a constitutional right to speak on the issues of the day, to assemble collectively to do so, and to influence the elections in which they can vote and to know who is attempting to influence their vote.

We shall reform our electoral, lobbying and campaign practices to ensure that our elected officials owe their allegiance to the people whom they are elected to serve by instituting the following:

Enforce Campaign Laws

We will vigorously enforce all present campaign finance laws, and the penalties should serve as a deterrent.

State Reforms

The States shall be permitted to experiment with different forms of campaign finance reform, so long as they protect the rights of citizen participation and equal access irrespective of party affiliation.

Donations

All donations to political organizations, be they issue oriented, political parties, or candidate committees, must come from actual persons who are citizens and registered to vote or from other political committees.

Local Contributions

At least 50% of the funds donated to a candidate committee must come from citizens who can vote for the candidate.

Disclosure

All political organizations shall disclose the source of every donation within 48 hours of receipt in a manner easily accessible to the public.

Political Organization Access

All political organizations shall have equal access to all forms of advertisement.

Campaign Access

Campaigns should include free and equal access to the media resources for all qualified candidates.

Disclosure in Ads

In all political advertisements that mention a candidate, show the likeness of one, or take a position on a referendum before the people, the five largest sources of funds for the organization or person that puts the ad forward should be shown in a visible manner.

Candidate Forums

TV and radio stations will allocate sufficient time for candidate forums which includes all qualified candidates, or presidential candidates that qualify for matching funds. All candidate forums which are broadcast or published and contain candidates from more than one political party must include all candidates who can legally win the office.

Federal Election Commission

The FEC is supposed to be the people's watchdog and provide nonpartisan oversight of the election process. One-third of the American people belong to neither major party. Therefore, one-third of the membership of the FEC should be independent of the major parties. We will work with Congress to change the composition of the Federal Elections Commission to include independent and non-partisan representation.

Corporations and Noncitizens

In matters of political speech, the First Amendment does not apply to corporations or non-citizens.