Here's where you can find updates to filer guidance and timely reminders about how to properly disclose campaign or lobbying activity.
Electronic filing of financial affairs disclosure (F-1) statements has moved to a new user experience designed to simplify filing and to help filers know what to report.
See our video for an overview of the new system and its features.
Appointed and elected officials required to submit Personal Financial Affairs (F-1) disclosures will use the new online system to submit their statements.
If you file for a continuing political committee, such as a political party committee or some other committee that is not tied to one election, and the committee intends to use the mini reporting option this year, you must update the committee registration in January to indicate that.
Elected and appointed officials who file annual financial affairs disclosure (F-1) reports with the Public Disclosure Commission should be aware of new laws that modify some of the reporting requirements.
Here are three need-to-know changes:
1. Small jurisdictions redefined
The definition of small jurisdiction has expanded Read more
Beginning Jan. 2, 2020, appointed and elected officials required to submit Personal Financial Affairs (F-1) disclosures will use a new online system to submit their statements.
Parts of that new system – including the ability for filers to view past F-1 statements – are now available.
The Public Disclosure Commission encourages filers to take this opportunity to become familiar with the new portal and get early access to their F-1 information Read more
You may have questions about whether to report lobbying compensation when you earn it, or when you are paid.
Compensation should be reported for the month you earn it, and lobbying compensation must be reported monthly during any month that you lobby.
A contract lobbyist, for example, should report lobbying compensation earned for the month. An in-house lobbyist should report compensation paid for the hours lobbied in that month.
Major changes are coming to Personal Financial Affairs Disclosure (F-1) reports. Here is an overview:
Wondering what you may do with campaign funds remaining when the election's over?
After you’ve repaid any loans to the campaign, whatever’s left is surplus campaign funds. There are seven ways that you may use that leftover money.
Some of those ways are:
When you submit a document in ORCA, you might notice a button off to the left side called “Edit Text Attachment.” This button allows you to add a note to your C-3 or C-4 report. If you click on that button, you will get a blank window to type in. Whatever you type will be added as an extra page to your form when you submit it. If there is anything about your form that you’d like to explain to the members of the public who read it, such as details about a contribution or an expense that you Read more
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.
Political commitees and 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 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.
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