It's political season again in Quartzsite. As a courtesy to political candidates, Desert Messenger is posting the requirements for advertising published by Arizona Newspaper Association and Arizona Revised Statutes regulating advertising for candidates. It is the candidate's responsibility to know the law.
DESERT MESSENGER POLICY:
Political advertising, advertising on public policy questions and controversial issues will be prepaid. These ads must contain “Paid for by...” the name and contact of person(s) or organization(s) responsible for the advertisement.
CANDIDATE ADVERTISEMENTS
Any advertisement by a candidate or political committee that advocates the election or defeat of any candidate or solicits contributions to a political committee shall state that it was paid for by the candidate or the candidate’s campaign committee, if that statement is accurate, or shall state the name of the political committee that paid for the advertisement, identify the chairman of the political committee and provide a telephone number for that individual.
If the literature or advertisement is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s campaign, the advertisement shall so state. If the advertisement is an independent expenditure (i.e., an expenditure by a person or political committee, other than a candidate’s campaign committee, that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, that is made without cooperation or consultation or at the request or suggestion of any candidate or committee or agent of the candidate) by a political committee, the advertisement shall also state the names and telephone numbers of the three political committees making the largest contributions to the political committee that paid for the advertisement. If an acronym is used to identify any political committee, the name of any sponsoring organization of the political committee must also be identified.
The required disclosures must be printed clearly and legibly in a conspicuous manner in the advertisement. In printed advertisements, the disclosure must appear in a font that is at least 3/32 inches tall in a dark type on a light background surrounded by a dark box.
§ 16-901(14), (19). Definitions
In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
14. “Independent expenditure” means an expenditure by a person or political committee, other than a candidate’s campaign committee, that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, that is made without cooperation or consultation with any candidate or committee or agent of the candidate and that is not made in concert with or at the request or suggestion of a candidate, or any committee or agent of the candidate. Independent expenditure includes an expenditure that is subject to the requirements of section 16-917 which requires a copy of campaign literature or advertisement to be sent to a candidate named or otherwise referred to in the literature or advertisement. An expenditure is not an independent expenditure if any of the following applies:
(a) Any officer, member, employee or agent of the political committee making the expenditure is also an officer, member, employee or agent of the committee of the candidate whose election or whose opponent’s defeat is being advocated by the expenditure or an agent of the candidate whose election or whose opponent’s defeat is being advocated by the expenditure.
(b) There is any arrangement, coordination or direction with respect to the expenditure between the candidate or the candidate’s agent and the person making the expenditure, including any officer, director, employee or agent of that person.
(c) In the same election the person making the expenditure, including any officer, director, employee or agent of that person, is or has been:
(i) Authorized to raise or expend monies on behalf of the candidate or the candidate’s authorized committees.
(ii) Receiving any form of compensation or reimbursement from the candidate, the candidate’s committees or the candidate’s agent.
(d) The expenditure is based on information about the candidate’s plans, projects or needs, or those of his campaign committee, provided to the expending person by the candidate or by the candidate’s agents or any officer, member or employee of the candidate’s campaign committee with a view toward having the expenditure made.
19. “Political committee” means a candidate or any association or combination of persons that is organized, conducted or combined for the purpose of influencing the result of any election or to determine whether an individual will become a candidate for election in this state or in any county, city, town, district or precinct in this state, that engages in political activity in behalf of or against a candidate for election or retention or in support of or opposition to an initiative, referendum or recall or any other measure or proposition and that applies for a serial number and circulates petitions and,
in the case of a candidate for public office except those exempt pursuant to section 16-903, that receives contributions or makes expenditures in connection therewith, notwithstanding that the association or combination of persons may be part of a larger association, combination of persons or sponsoring organization not primarily organized, conducted or combined for the purpose of influencing the result of any election in this state or in any county, city, town or precinct in this state.
§ 16-912(A)-(E). Candidates and independent expenditures; campaign literature and
advertisement sponsors; identification; civil penalty
A. A political committee that makes an expenditure for campaign literature or advertisements that expressly advocate the election or defeat of any candidate or that make any solicitation of contributions to any political committee shall be registered pursuant to this chapter at the time of distribution, placement or solicitation and shall include on the literature or advertisement the words “paid for by” followed by the name of the committee that appears on its statement of organization or five hundred dollar exemption statement.
B. If the expenditure for the campaign literature or advertisements by a political committee is an independent expenditure, the political committee, in addition to the disclosures required by subsection A of this section, shall include on the literature or advertisement the names and telephone numbers of the three political committees making the largest contributions to the political committee making the independent expenditure. If an acronym is used to name any political committee outlined in this section, the name of any sponsoring organization of the political committee shall also be printed or spoken. For purposes of determining the three contributors to be disclosed, the contributions of each political committee making the independent expenditure during the one year period before the election being affected are aggregated.
C. Subsection A of this section does not apply to bumper stickers, pins, buttons, pens and similar small items on which the statements required in subsection A of this section cannot be conveniently printed or to signs paid for by a candidate with campaign monies or by a candidate’s campaign committee or to a solicitation of contributions by a separate segregated fund from those persons it may solicit pursuant to §§ 16-920 and 16-921.
D. The disclosures required pursuant to this section shall be printed clearly and legibly in a conspicuous manner or, if the advertisement is broadcast on a telecommunications system, the disclosure shall be spoken. For printed material that is delivered or provided by hand or by mail, the disclosure shall be printed in a font that is at least 3/32 inches tall in dark type on light background surrounded by a dark box. For communications that are broadcast on a telecommunications system or other medium that can provide a viewable disclosure and a spoken disclosure, the disclosure may be made in printed format only and a spoken disclosure is not required.
E. A person who violates this section is subject to a civil penalty of up to three times the cost of producing and distributing the literature or advertisement. This civil penalty shall be imposed as prescribed in § 16-924.
For all your Quartzsite Advertising needs, contact
Shanana "Rain" BearCat, Publisher of Desert Messenger,
Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper
at 928-916-4235.
Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com.
