SeGuine, Thomas: Alleged Violation of RCW 42.17A.320 for failure to disclose sponsor identification and top five contributors for newspaper ads. (NOV 2018)

The Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) has completed its review of the complaint filed by Steve Erickson on November 3, 2018. The complaint alleged that Tom Seguine, a candidate seeking the office of Washington Court of Appeals Judge in Division One, District 3, may have violated RCW 42.17A.320 for failure to disclose sponsor identification and top five contributors for political advertising.  

PDC staff reviewed the allegations, the statutes and rules, and the response from the Committee to Elect Tom Seguine (Campaign).

Based on these findings and the following facts, staff has determined that in this instance, the failure to disclose top five contributors and sponsorship information does not amount to a material violation warranting further investigation since: (1) The Campaign acknowledged that the sponsorship information was inadvertently omitted from a newspaper after graphics editing due to a lack of oversight of a vendor error; and (2) There was not sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the Campaign was required to disclose the top five contributors as specified by RCW 42.17A.320 and the Political Advertising Guide. 

PDC staff is reminding Thomas Seguine about the importance of ensuring that sponsor identification is disclosed for political advertising as required by RCW 42.17A.320, including the statement: “It is paid for by (name, address, city, state).” Based on this information, the PDC has dismissed this matter in accordance with RCW 42.17A.755(1), and will not be conducting a more formal investigation into your complaint or pursuing further enforcement action in this case.