February 28, 2025
The Public Disclosure Commission is considering proposals intended to standardize and simplify the campaign expenditure reporting calendar, with the intention of helping campaigns keep track of deadlines and improving transparency.
Commission Chair J. Leach is inviting you and other interested parties to a virtual engagement session to discuss the plan at 10:30 a.m. on March 11.
Currently, campaign expenditure reports, known as C-4 reports, have due dates that depend on the amount of a candidate or committee’s financial activity and their election participation. For that reason, a committee participating in the 2025 general election has different C-4 due dates than a committee participating in the April 2025 special election.
The current reporting schedule also doesn’t reflect the move to mail voting, with the bulk of expenditure reporting happening on the eve of ballots going out when voters may have little time to digest campaign disclosure.
The Commission has directed PDC staff to consider ways to improve the reporting schedule. Elements of a proposal could include:
- Common due dates for all committees and candidates, regardless of election participation
- Twice-monthly reporting of expenditures for all campaigns
- Additional reporting deadlines in the days before an election
We’re hoping to hear your take on these suggestions, as well as any of your own ideas for improving transparency regarding political expenditure reporting.
If you’d like to participate in the engagement session, please RSVP by emailing pdc@pdc.wa.gov. Participants will receive a link to join the meeting on March 10.
If you are unable to attend, please consider sending a written response to pdc@pdc.wa.gov.