The Public Disclosure Commission (PDC), which administers and enforces Washington state’s campaign finance laws, is preparing a legislative proposal to submit to state lawmakers in 2022 that would, if adopted, inhibit political speech by discouraging organizations from communicating with voters about legislation under consideration in Olympia.Īmong other things, the 70-page draft legislation takes aim at “grassroots lobbying campaigns,” which typically involve paid advertisements supporting or opposing pending legislation with the goal of getting people to contact their lawmakers about it. The largest contributors to a specific grass roots lobbying campaign must still be identified on grass roots lobbying communications.
Update : In light of the Freedom Foundation’s objections, the PDC has modified its draft legislative proposal to no longer require sponsors of grass roots lobbying campaigns to disclose their top donors.
