Campaign finance requirements for Washington ballot measures
 in Washington |
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Groups and individuals involved in ballot measure campaigns in Washington must adhere to the state's campaign finance laws. These laws regulate the amounts and sources of money given or received for political purposes; in addition, campaign finance laws stipulate disclosure requirements for political contributions and expenditures.
Proponents of more stringent regulations and disclosure requirements, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, claim that current laws do not go far enough to mitigate corruption and the influence of undisclosed special interests. Others, such as the Institute for Free Speech, argue that strict disclosure requirements and contribution limits impinge upon the rights to privacy and free expression.[1][2]
| In Washington, a ballot committee is "organized to support or oppose a particular ballot measure." A ballot committee can accept unlimited contributions from any legal source. |
The laws and regulations that apply to ballot measure campaigns may differ from those that apply to candidates for political office. To learn more about campaign finance requirements for candidates, see this article.
Washington ballot measures
- See also: Ballot measure
A ballot measure is any question or issue that appears on an election ballot to be approved or rejected by voters. In 26 states, plus Washington, D.C., citizens may use the initiative and referendum process, which permits citizens to petition to place measures on the ballot and usually involves a signature collection process of some kind. Even in states without initiative and referendum processes, however, ballot measures exist. In all states, citizens may be asked to approve legislatively referred constitutional amendments, state statutes, bond issues or tax proposals.
In Washington, ballot measures come in the following forms: legislatively referred state statutes, initiated state statutes, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, veto referenda and advisory questions.
Organizational requirements
In Washington, a ballot committee is "organized to support or oppose a particular ballot measure." A ballot committee is a type of political committee. A ballot committee must register with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission "within two weeks of organizing or first expecting to receive or spend funds."[3]
See form: Political Committee Registration Form
Contribution limits
According to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "generally, contributions from individuals, corporations, unions and other organizations are permitted." These entities can make unlimited contributions to ballot committees.[4]
Reporting requirements
A ballot committee that expects to raise and spend more than $5,000 during the course of an election must adhere to Washington's full reporting requirements (a committee that does not meet this threshold may be eligible to file reports on an attenuated schedule). For all contributions exceeding $25 total, the committee must report the donor's name and address. If an individual contributes more than $100 total to the committee, the committee must also report the donor's employer and occupation. For all expenditures exceeding $50, the committee must report the name and address of the recipient, as well as the purpose and amount of the expenditure.[3]
Ballot committees that expect to raise and spend more than $5,000 must file campaign finance reports online using the state's e-file system. Reports must be filed according to the following schedule:[3][4]
- C-3 Contribution Reports: "Before June 1, political committees fill out a C-3 report for each bank deposit made and file the reports with their C-4 reports. Beginning June 1, each Monday campaigns must report each bank deposit made during the previous seven days. Since contributions must be deposited within five days of receipt, active campaigns will make at least one weekly deposit and, on Mondays, file a C-3 for each deposit."
- C-4 Summary Reports: "This report, along with its attached schedules, summarizes the campaign's financial activity and shows itemized expenditures. C-4 reports are monthly from January through May if a campaign has over $200 in contribution or expenditure activity during a month. During June through December, C-4 reports are due 21 and 7 days before and on the 10th of the month following the primary and general elections, even if there was little or no activity report."
Year-specific reporting dates
2021
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Washington in 2021.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Washington, 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Weekly reporting period (C-3) | November 30, 2020 – February 8, 2021 | Monday of the following week |
| Monthy report (C-4) | December 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020 | January 11, 2021 |
| February pre-election report (C-4) | December 1, 2020 – January 18, 2021 | January 19, 2021 |
| February pre-election report (C-4) | January 19, 2021 – February 1, 2021 | February 2, 2021 |
| Monthy report (C-4) | January 1, 2021 – January 31, 2021 | February 10, 2021 |
| Weekly reporting period (C-3) | February 9, 2021 – April 26, 2021 | Monday of the following week |
| Annual report (C-7) | January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020 | March 1, 2021 |
| Monthy report (C-4) | February 1, 2021 – February 28, 2021 | March 10, 2021 |
| February post-election report (C-4) | February 2, 2021 – February 28, 2021 | March 10, 2021 |
| April pre-election report (C-4) | March 1, 2021 – April 5, 2021 | April 6, 2021 |
| Monthy report (C-4) | March 1, 2021 – March 31, 2021 | April 12, 2021 |
| April pre-election report (C-4) | April 6, 2021 – April 19, 2021 | April 20, 2021 |
| Monthy report (C-4) | April 1, 2021 – April 30, 2021 | May 10, 2021 |
| April post-election report (C-4) | April 20, 2021 – April 30, 2021 | May 10, 2021 |
| Weekly reporting period (C-3) | May 31, 2021 – November 1, 2021 | Monday of the following week |
| Monthy report (C-4) | May 1, 2021 – May 31, 2021 | June 10, 2021 |
| Pre-primary report (C-4) | June 1, 2021 – July 12 | July 13, 2021 |
| Pre-primary report (C-4) | July 13, 2021 – July 26, 2021 | July 27, 2021 |
| Post-primary report (C-4) | July 27, 2021 – August 31, 2021 | September 10, 2021 |
| November pre-election report (C-4) | September 1, 2021 – October 11, 2021 | October 12, 2021 |
| November pre-election report (C-4) | October 12, 2021 – October 25, 2021 | October 26, 2021 |
| November post-election report (C-4) | October 26, 2021 – November 30, 2021 | December 10, 2021 |
| Monthy report (C-4) | December 1, 2021 – December 31, 2021 | January 10, 2022 |
| Source: Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "List of Events," accessed July 12, 2021 | ||
2016
The table below lists relevant campaign finance report filing deadlines in Washington in 2016.
| Campaign finance reporting deadlines in Washington, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Reporting period | Filing deadline |
| Monthly C-4 and C-3, if necessary | Close of last report - December 31, 2015 | January 11, 2016 |
| Monthly C-4 and C-3, if necessary | Close of last report - January 31, 2016 | February 10, 2016 |
| Monthly C-4 and C-3, if necessary | Close of last report - February 29, 2016 | March 10, 2016 |
| Monthly C-4 and C-3, if necessary | Close of last report - March 31, 2016 | April 11, 2016 |
| Monthly C-4 and C-3, if necessary | Close of last report - April 30, 2016 | May 11, 2016 |
| Begin filing weekly C-3 reports | N/A | June 1, 2016 |
| Monthly C-4, if necessary | Close of last report - May 31, 2016 | June 10, 2016 |
| 21-day pre-primary C-4 | June 1 - July 11, 2016 | July 12, 2016 |
| 7-day pre-primary C-4 | July 12 - July 25, 2016 | July 26, 2016 |
| Post-primary C-4 | July 26 - August 31, 2016 | September 12, 2016 |
| 21-day pre-general C-4 | September 1 - October 17, 2016 | October 18, 2016 |
| 7-day pre-general C-4 | October 18 - October 31, 2016 | November 1, 2016 |
| Post-general C-4 (and C-3, if necessary) | November 1 - November 30, 2016 | December 12, 2016 |
| End of election cycle C-4 (and C-3, if necessary) | December 1 - December 31, 2016 | January 10, 2017 |
| Source: Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "2016 Key Reporting Dates for Committees," accessed December 9, 2015 | ||
State agencies
- See also: Campaign finance agencies in Washington
In Washington, there is one primary agency involved in campaign finance regulation: the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission. The commission sets policy, collects reports, sets penalties, and enforces campaign finance law.
- Washington State Public Disclosure Commission
- 711 Capitol Way #206
- PO Box 40908
- Olympia, WA 98504-0908
- Telephone: (360) 753-1111
- Fax: (360) 753-1112
- Email: pdc@pdc.wa.gov
Campaign finance legislation
The following is a list of recent campaign finance bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Washington state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.
Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Washington campaign finance. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Campaign finance requirements in Washington
- Campaign finance agencies in Washington
- List of Washington ballot measures
External links
Additional reading
Footnotes
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Money in Politics," accessed September 4, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Political Committees: Campaign Disclosure Instructions," accessed December 9, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Starting Off on the Right Foot," accessed December 9, 2015
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