Not long ago, one neighbor talked to another neighbor who talked to another. In a short time, a lot of neighbors were talking about a petition for an election to determine if our little Parker North subdivision in unincorporated DouglasCounty should be annexed into the Town of Parker. Many of us put No Annexation signs in our yards.
Then a complaint alleging campaign and political finance violations was filed against some of our neighbors. You ask, how do campaign finance laws relate to suppression of free speech and assembly? The answer is in the details.
If one or 100 people want to buy a $200 sign that says "Vote No" or "Vote Yes", you probably have to register an issue committee, open a bank account, and publicly disclose contributions and expenditures related to your expression of opinion.
If you don't register, your opponents can file a Complaint with the Secretary of State, exposing you to legal defense expenses, fines and sanctions.
If you think this is my problem, not yours, because I chose to be a vocal opponent of annexation, consider this. The Complaint alleges that our "illegal activities" expose "all persons who have contacted or obtained campaign materials from the Respondents with possible investigation, scrutinization and sanctions for Campaign Finance violations." (Their incorrect word, "scrutinization", not mine.)
Neighbors are now saying they don't want to speak up because they don't want to be sued. That should never happen in this country.
More than 270 of the nearly 400 eligible voters on annexation stated they would vote against it -- before the Complaint was filed against their neighbors. But Parker's Town Council voted to spend thousands of dollars for an annexation election, declaring the importance of the right to vote.
What about the right to free speech and assembly so that citizens can be informed voters?