Here's where you can find updates to filer guidance and timely reminders about how to properly disclose campaign or lobbying activity.
From Saturday, October 26, through Monday, November 4, any individual may email a campaign at the address reported on the candidate or committee registration to request to inspect the campaign's books of account.
If someone contacts your campaign to check your books, make an appointment to meet that person. The appointment must be between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a weekday, unless you both agree to meet at a different time.
The inspection must be allowed within 48 Read more
We’re now in the 21 days before the general election. During these 21 days, campaigns for candidates on the general election ballot may not accept more than $5,000 from any donor, even the candidate (except for the state committee of a major or minor political party, which may give more). Registered political committees may not accept more than that either, except for committees to support or oppose a ballot measure.
Did you get a contribution from an unknown source? If you truly do not know who donated the money, you may retain up to $300 or 1 percent of the total contributions received in a calendar year, whichever is greater.
Once you surpass the $30,000 mark in total contributions for the current calendar year, the anonymous contribution limits are calculated at 1 percent of total contributions received to date, for the remainder of that calendar year. More information regarding exclusions Read more
If you file reports for a campaign, you may have seen the "Credit Card Debt" option in the ORCA filing software. Most campaigns should never use this feature. The credit card debt function should only be used if the campaign has its own credit card, issued by the bank just for that election campaign or political committee.
Candidates for most state and local offices in Washington are required to register with the Public Disclosure Commission. Registration is done electronically* through the PDC's website.
To begin, you must have a Secure Access Washington (SAW) account. SAW allows you to securely file data with many Washington state agencies. If you already have a SAW account, use that one for your PDC filing — you don’t have to make a new account for us.
If you don’t have a SAW account, it’s Read more
Many expenditures — whether made directly by the campaign or by a staffer who is then reimbursed — require a detailed description of what was purchased.
Hire a campaign consultant? The public needs to know Read more
If you hold an elected office and you’re running for office, by state law, you can’t ask government employees serving under you for contributions. You can take a contribution if they give you one, but you can’t ask, and you can’t have someone else ask for you.
When you register a candidate’s election campaign or a political committee, you chose full or mini reporting. A candidate who chooses mini submits only one other document, the F-1 personal financial affairs statement. A political committee that picks mini reporting has no additional reports to submit.
Bear in mind that a mini reporting candidate or committee can raise and spend no more than $5,000 during the election campaign, or, for a continuing committee, $5,000 per calendar year Read more
The amount that a political party may donate to your election campaign depends on how many registered voters there are in the jurisdiction where you’re running. If you don’t have that number entered into ORCA, even a $1 contribution will make ORCA say that they gave too much.
If you’re running for Legislature or a county office, the number of voters in your legislative district or county is available from a chart Read more
Candidates for port districts face contribution limits — many for the first time — under a new state law that takes effect July 28
The amount that your party may donate to your election campaign depends on how many registered voters there are in the jurisdiction where you’re running.
If you don’t have that number entered into ORCA, even a one dollar contribution will make ORCA say that the party gave too much.
The number of voters in every legislative district or county is available from a chart here. If you need the number of Read more
If you file for a candidate or a political committee, our website may ask you to log in to your SAW account. SAW stands for Secure Access Washington. SAW allows you to securely file data with many Washington state agencies. If you already have a SAW account, use that one for your PDC filing — you don’t have to make a new account for us. If you don’t have a SAW account, it’s a quick and easy process to get one.
You can create a SAW account Read more
Filing fees are a permissible expenditure for a candidate’s campaign committee. (Click here for more information on permissible expenditures.) Candidates registered under full reporting report the expenditure (or reimbursement, in-kind loan or in-kind contribution if the candidate paid the fees out of their own pocket) on their May C-4 reports.
If Read more
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