Here's where you can find updates to filer guidance and timely reminders about how to properly disclose campaign or lobbying activity. 

News

Campaign expenditures: Details matter
October 22, 2018

In the waning days of the election season, campaigns are making lots of expenditures to get out their messages. The PDC encourages campaigns to provide as much detail as possible to help the public identify the purpose of those expenses.

Campaigns should "describe in detail the goods and/or services to be provided" (WAC 390-16-037). That rule, as well as WAC 390-16-205, has examples that explain how to meet that standard when reporting expenditures on get-out-the-vote campaigns, printing jobs, broadcast political ads and campaign consultants.

Here’s an example of good detail:

 

Last-minute contribution reporting begins Tuesday
October 15, 2018

Washington state law puts restrictions and special reporting requirements on large contributions received within 21 days of the general election. 

Beginning Oct. 16 and continuing through Nov. 5:

  • a statewide office candidate may not accept campaign contributions exceeding $50,000, in the aggregate;
  • a legislative or local office candidate may not accept campaign contributions exceeding $5,000, in the aggregate; and
  • a political committee, including all bona fide party committees, may not accept more than $5,000, in the aggregate from one source.

The limitations do not apply when the donor is a state party committee.

Also during this period, contributions of $1,000 dollars or more, in the aggregate, must be separately reported. The deadline for filing last-minute contribution (LMC) reports is within 24 hours by the contributor and 48 hours by the recipient. The reports can be filed online. The recipient may, in lieu of filing an LMC, submit a C-3 deposit report disclosing the contribution within the 48 hour window.

Individuals or other entities who do not currently have a filing requirement with the PDC are not required to complete a LMC disclosing that they made a contribution.

More information about LMC restrictions and reporting is available here for candidates, here for political committees, and here for lobbyists.

Sponsor ID for text messages
October 13, 2018

The PDC has received several inquiries about how to provide sponsor ID for political advertising via text message, which is considered an online transmission method under WAC 390-05-290(2). PDC staff has advised political committees that text messages are eligible to use the small online ad alternative outlined in WAC 390-18-030, which allows sponsor ID to be provided using an "automatic display" that takes the reader directly to the required disclosures.

Since some phones receiving the text will not be able to follow a link, we suggest campaigns include, in addition to a web address, mechanisms that allow the recipients to request sponsor ID information. Sponsors should make that process as easy as possible, perhaps by allowing the recipient to reply with a single character that then prompts another text message with the sponsor ID information. The message would look something like this: “Go to www.xyzcommittee.com or text * for sponsor information.”

Sponsors who have questions about sponsor ID on any form of political advertising can review the PDC's online guidance or email us at pdc@pdc.wa.gov. 

Major campaign finance report due Tuesday
October 11, 2018

If you file C-4 reports for a candidate who will be on the November ballot or a political committee that’s involved with the general election this year, you have a C-4 report due Oct. 16. This C-4 should be a report for the period of Sept. 1 through Oct. 15. 

If you don’t see a C-4 with a due date of Oct. 16 in ORCA, make sure that you are set up for the general election. Open your campaign in ORCA, and click the word “File” on the upper left. Click on “Committee Information.”  In the column on the left, click on “C-4 reporting periods.” Make sure that you have selected “Participates in General Ballot” on the right.

Reporting dates are available on the PDC calendar. 

Lobbyists: Renew your registration now
October 5, 2018

It’s lobbyist registration time once again.

State law requires registered lobbyists to file a new registration statement every two years. The deadline is the second Monday in January of odd-numbered years. Failure to do so terminates the lobbyist’s registration.

Anyone planning to lobby in 2019 and 2020 are encouraged to complete their registration for the 2019-20 biennium now. Registrations can be submitted using the PDC’s lobbyist application here.

If you don’t already have an account, now is a great time to sign up. Filing online will save you valuable time because updating registrations can be done in just a couple of minutes and does not require submitting any printed forms. Short video tutorials are available to lead you through the process. 

General questions about what the disclosure requirements are? Answers to frequently asked questions and more detailed instructions on lobbyist reporting are available on our website. 

PDC staff also are available to help. Shoot us a note at pdc@pdc.wa.gov, and we’ll get back to you promptly.