With the election only a few days away, both major political parties in Arizona are being accused of breaking state election laws.

On Oct. 29, the Arizona Democratic Party filed a complaint with Secretary of State Jan Brewer alleging the Arizona Republican Party failed to follow the disclaimer requirements for independent expenditures on mailers in a pair of legislative districts.

State law requires a disclaimer be attached to any independent expenditure that identifies the group that paid for the campaign work, as well as "the names and telephone numbers of the three political committees making the largest contributions to the political committee making the independent expenditure."

The mail pieces sent to voters in District 12 opposing the Democratic Senate candidate Cotera and in District 26 opposing all three Democratic legislative candidates noted the pieces were paid for the by the Arizona Republican Party. But there was no disclosure of the three committees that gave the party the most money.

The complaint also alleged the state Republican Party failed to timely file notice it had made an independent expenditure in the District 11 House race, delaying matching public funds to the Democratic candidate in the race by "at least six days."

The Arizona Republican Party did not respond to a request for a comment.

The Democratic Party also was accused of breaking campaign finance laws. The complaint, filed with Maricopa County Elections Director Karen Osborn, alleged Democrats violated the same independent expenditure disclaimer statute.

Barnett Lotstein, a spokesman for Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas' reelection campaign, filed the complaint and said the Democratic Party "has engaged in an apparent scheme intended to hide their involvement in the funding of" a radio advertisement critical of Thomas.

The radio advertisement was purchased by Arizonans for Responsible Law Enforcement, an independent expenditure committee formed by Phoenix attorney Scott Palumbo. The committee was funded by Arizona Wins, another independent expenditure committee, which received money from the Arizona Democratic Party.

The commercial discloses it was paid for by Arizonans for Responsible Law Enforcement, and notes that Arizona Wins provided the funding, but does not mention the Democratic Party.

Although the law only requires a disclosure of the committees that gave money directly to the committee that made the independent expenditure, Lotstein wrote in the complaint the shifting of money employed by the Democrats "is in violation of the spirit and letter" of the law.

"In my legal opinion, I believe it is inappropriate and improper, and that's why I'm asking for an investigation," he told Arizona Capitol Times.

But the Democratic Party said it followed the law.

"Arizona Wins is a separate organization from the Arizona Democratic Party, and at no time did the (party) earmark or otherwise direct how its contribution would be spent," said party spokeswoman Emily DeRose. "The Arizona Democratic Party absolutely complied with campaign finance rules. Once we contributed money to Arizona Wins, we could not legally have anything to do with how that organization spent its money."