Title 29B — Title 29B CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE AND CONTRIBUTION

(1) "Sponsor," for purposes of an electioneering communications, independent expenditures, or political advertising, means the person paying for the electioneering communication, independent expenditure, or political advertising. If a person acts as an agent for another or is rei…

"Sponsored committee" means a committee, other than an authorized committee, that has one or more sponsors.[ 2024 c 164 s 249.]Notes:Intent—Construction—Rules remain valid—Effective date—2024 c 164: See notes following RCW 29B.10.010.

"State office" means state legislative office or the office of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, commissioner of public lands, insurance commissioner, superintendent of public instruction, state auditor, or state treasurer.[ 2024 c 164 s 250.]No…

"State official" means a person who holds a state office.[ 2024 c 164 s 251.]Notes:Intent—Construction—Rules remain valid—Effective date—2024 c 164: See notes following RCW 29B.10.010.

"Surplus funds" mean, in the case of a political committee or candidate, the balance of contributions that remain in the possession or control of that committee or candidate subsequent to the election for which the contributions were received, and that are in excess of the amount…

"Technical correction" means the correction of a minor or ministerial error in a required report that does not materially harm the public interest and needs to be corrected for the report to be in full compliance with the requirements of this title.[ 2024 c 164 s 253.]Notes:Inten…

"Treasurer" and "deputy treasurer" mean the individuals appointed by a candidate or political or incidental committee, pursuant to RCW 29B.25.040, to perform the duties specified in that section.[ 2024 c 164 s 254.]Notes:Intent—Construction—Rules remain valid—Effective date—2024 …

"Violation" means a violation of this title that is not a remediable violation, minor violation, or an error classified by the commission as appropriate to address by a technical correction.[ 2024 c 164 s 255.]Notes:Intent—Construction—Rules remain valid—Effective date—2024 c 164…

(1) For each required report, as technology permits, the commission shall make an electronic reporting tool available to all those who are required to file that report under this title.(2) All persons required to file reports under this title must file them electronically where t…

It is the intent of the legislature to ensure that the commission provide the general public timely access to all contribution and expenditure reports submitted by candidates, continuing political committees, bona fide political parties, lobbyists, and lobbyists' employers. The l…

By July 1st of each year, the commission shall calculate the following performance measures, provide a copy of the performance measures to the governor and appropriate legislative committees, and make the performance measures available to the public:(1) The average number of days…

(1) The public disclosure commission is established. The commission shall be composed of five commissioners appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate. The commission shall have the authority and duties as set forth in this title. All appointees shall be persons of…

The commission shall:(1) Develop and provide forms for the reports and statements required to be made under this title;(2) Prepare and publish a manual setting forth recommended uniform methods of bookkeeping and reporting for use by persons required to make reports and statement…

In addition to the duties in RCW 29B.20.020, the commission may:(1) Adopt, amend, and rescind suitable administrative rules to carry out the policies and purposes of this title, which rules shall be adopted under chapter 34.05 RCW. Any rule relating to campaign finance, political…

(1) The commission may suspend or modify any of the reporting requirements of this title if it finds that literal application of this title works a manifestly unreasonable hardship in a particular case and the suspension or modification will not frustrate the purposes of this tit…

At least once every five years, but no more often than every two years, the commission must consider whether to revise the monetary contribution limits and reporting thresholds and code values of this title. If the commission chooses to make revisions, the revisions shall be only…

The attorney general, through his or her office, shall provide assistance as required by the commission to carry out its responsibilities under this title. The commission may employ attorneys who are neither the attorney general nor an assistant attorney general to carry out any …

(1) Except as provided in subsections (2), (3), and (7) of this section, the reporting provisions of this title do not apply to:(a) Candidates, elected officials, and agencies in political subdivisions with fewer than 2,000 registered voters as of the date of the most recent gene…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the date of receipt of any properly addressed application, report, statement, notice, or payment required to be made under the provisions of this title is the date shown by the post office cancellation mark on the envelope…

Every report and statement required to be filed under this title shall identify the person preparing it, and shall be certified as complete and correct, both by the person preparing it and by the person on whose behalf it is filed.[ 2024 c 164 s 415; 1973 c 1 s 43 (Initiative Mea…

The commission must preserve statements or reports required to be filed under this title for not less than 10 years.[ 2024 c 164 s 416; 2010 c 205 s 9; 1973 c 1 s 45 (Initiative Measure No. 276, approved November 7, 1972). Formerly RCW 42.17A.150, 42.17.450.]Notes:Intent—Construc…

(1) The commission may apply for and obtain a superior court order approving and authorizing a subpoena in advance of its issuance. The application may be made in Thurston county, the county where the subpoenaed person resides or is found, or the county where the subpoenaed docum…

The provisions of this title relating to the financing of election campaigns shall apply in all election campaigns other than (1) for precinct committee officer; (2) for a federal elective office; and (3) for an office of a political subdivision of the state that does not encompa…

(1) Every political committee shall file a statement of organization with the commission. The statement must be filed within two weeks after organization or within two weeks after the date the committee first has the expectation of receiving contributions or making expenditures i…

(1)(a) An incidental committee must file a statement of organization with the commission within two weeks after the date the committee first:(i) Has the expectation of making any expenditures aggregating at least twenty-five thousand dollars in a calendar year in any election cam…

(1) Each candidate, within two weeks after becoming a candidate, and each political committee, at the time it is required to file a statement of organization, shall designate and file with the commission the name and address of one legally competent individual, who may be the can…

Each candidate and each political committee shall designate and file with the commission the name and address of not more than one depository for each county in which the campaign is conducted in which the candidate's or political committee's accounts are maintained and the name …

(1) All monetary contributions received by a candidate or political committee shall be deposited by candidates, political committee members, paid staff, or treasurers in a depository in an account established and designated for that purpose. Such deposits shall be made within fiv…

(1) In addition to the provisions of this section, a continuing political committee shall file and report on the same conditions and at the same times as any other committee in accordance with the provisions of RCW 29B.25.020, 29B.25.040, and 29B.25.060.(2) A continuing political…

(1) Fund-raising activities meeting the standards of subsection (2) of this section may be reported in accordance with the provisions of this section in lieu of reporting in accordance with RCW 29B.25.090.(2) Standards:(a) The activity consists of one or more of the following:(i)…

(1)(a) In addition to the information required under RCW 29B.25.020 and 29B.25.040, each candidate or political committee must file with the commission a report of all contributions received and expenditures made as a political committee on the next reporting date pursuant to the…

Each report required under RCW 29B.25.090 (1) through (4) must be certified as correct by the treasurer and the candidate and shall disclose the following, except an incidental committee only must disclose and certify as correct the information required under subsections (2)(d) a…

(1) An out-of-state political committee organized for the purpose of supporting or opposing candidates or ballot propositions in another state that is not otherwise required to report under RCW 29B.25.020 through 29B.25.100 shall report as required in this section when it makes a…

(1) For the purposes of this section the term "independent expenditure" means any expenditure that is made in support of or in opposition to any candidate or ballot proposition and is not otherwise required to be reported pursuant to RCW 29B.25.070, 29B.25.090, and 29B.25.100. "I…

(1) The sponsor of political advertising shall file a special report to the commission within 24 hours of, or on the first working day after, the date the political advertising is first published, mailed, or otherwise presented to the public, if the political advertising:(a) Is p…

(1) Treasurers shall prepare and deliver to the commission a special report when a contribution or aggregate of contributions totals one thousand dollars or more, is from a single person or entity, and is received during a special reporting period.(2) A political committee shall …

[(1)] A political committee receiving a contribution earmarked for the benefit of a candidate or another political committee shall:(1) [(a)] Report the contribution as required in RCW 29B.25.090 and 29B.25.100;(2) [(b)] Complete a report, entitled "Earmarked contributions," on a …

(1) The legislature finds that:(a) Timely disclosure to voters of the identity and sources of funding for electioneering communications is vitally important to the integrity of state, local, and judicial elections.(b) Electioneering communications that identify political candidat…

(1) A payment for or promise to pay for any electioneering communication shall be reported to the commission by the sponsor on forms the commission shall develop by rule to include, at a minimum, the following information:(a) Name and address of the sponsor;(b) Source of funds fo…

(1) An electioneering communication made by a person in cooperation, consultation, or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate, a candidate's authorized committee, or their agents is a contribution to the candidate.(2) An electioneering communication made by …

(1) The sponsor of an electioneering communication shall preserve all financial records relating to the communication, including books of account, bills, receipts, contributor information, and ledgers, for not less than five calendar years following the year in which the communic…

(1) All written political advertising, whether relating to candidates or ballot propositions, shall include the sponsor's name and address. All radio and television political advertising, whether relating to candidates or ballot propositions, shall include the sponsor's name. The…

At least one picture of the candidate used in any political advertising shall have been taken within the last five years and shall be no smaller than any other picture of the same candidate used in the same advertisement.[ 2024 c 164 s 438; 2010 c 204 s 506; 1984 c 216 s 2. Forme…

(1) It is a violation of this title for a person to sponsor with actual malice a statement constituting libel or defamation per se under the following circumstances:(a) Political advertising or an electioneering communication that contains a false statement of material fact about…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the responsibility for compliance with RCW 29B.30.050 through 29B.30.070 shall be with the sponsor of the political advertising and not with the broadcasting station or other medium.(2) If a broadcasting station or other m…

(1) Each commercial advertiser who has accepted or provided political advertising or electioneering communications during the election campaign shall maintain current books of account and related materials as provided by rule that shall be open for public inspection during normal…

(1) For any requirement to include the top five contributors under RCW 29B.30.050 or any other provision of this title, the sponsor must identify the five persons or entities making the largest contributions to the sponsor in excess of the threshold aggregate value to be consider…

(1) For purposes of this section "synthetic media" means an image, an audio recording, or a video recording of an individual's appearance, speech, or conduct that has been intentionally manipulated with the use of generative adversarial network techniques or other digital technol…

(1) For an action brought under *RCW 42.62.020, the sponsor of the electioneering communication may be held liable, and not the medium disseminating the electioneering communication except as provided in subsection (2) of this section.(2) Except when a licensee, programmer, or op…

The public disclosure commission must adopt rules in furtherance of the purpose of this chapter. Nothing in this chapter constitutes a violation under other chapters of this title, or otherwise authorizes the public disclosure commission to take action under RCW 29B.60.020.[ 2024…