Howell, Erinn: Alleged violations of RCW 42.17A.205, .700 & .235 for failure to register as a candidate & file financial affairs statement within 2 weeks of declaring candidacy & timely report contributions & expenditures. (EY '19) (Jul '19)

Case

#54918

Respondent

Erinn Howell

Complainant

Glen Morgan

Description

The PDC received a complaint alleging that Erinn Howell (the “Respondent”) may have violated RCW 42.17A.205, .235 & .700 by failing to timely register as a candidate and file a statement of financial affairs within two weeks of becoming a candidate, and timely report her contributions & expenditures on C-3 & C-4 reports.

PDC staff reviewed the allegations; the applicable statutes, rules and reporting requirements; the responses provided by the Respondent; and the Respondent’s reporting history to determine whether they support a finding of one or more violations. Staff’s review found the following:

The Respondent is a first-time candidate who filed with Elections officials on May 15, 2019 and was therefore required to file a Candidate Registration (C-1 report) and Personal Financial Affairs Statement (F-1 report) with the PDC within two weeks, or no later than May 29, 2019. 

The Respondent filed an F-1 report with the PDC on July 12, 2019 – 44 days late – but technical issues prevented it from appearing in the PDC’s system until September 9, 2019. The Respondent filed a C-1 report with the PDC on September 30, 2019, which is 124 days late. On the C-1 report, the Respondent selected the Mini-reporting Option, whereby a candidate’s campaign is not required to file C-3 & C-4 reports with the PDC if they raise & spend no more than $5,000 and receive no more than $500 from any one contributor. 

In her response to the complaint, the Respondent indicated noncompliance was due to a misunderstanding, lack of experience, and a family illness. This case was resolved via the Respondent’s submission of a signed Statement of Understanding and $100 penalty. Based on these findings, staff determined that, in this instance, the Respondent’s failure to timely register as a candidate and file a statement of financial affairs does not amount to a violation that warrants further investigation. The PDC has dismissed this matter in accordance with RCW 42.17A.755(1). 

Disposition

Resolved through Statement of Understanding

Date Opened

July 18, 2019

Areas of Law

RCW 42.17A.205, RCW 42.17A.235, RCW 42.17A.700

Documents

• 54918 Howell Erinn Response.pdf
• 54918 Howell Erinn Complaint Return Letter.pdf
• Erinn Howell_Statement of Understanding.pdf
• 54918 Howell Erinn Complaint.pdf

Penalties