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Dear Group, We, as residents of Washington State, pay dues for our membership in this State. Some of these dues are used to fund a state agency called the Public Disclosure Commission. The PDC is an important part of the civics of Washington State. Allow me to introduce you. The Public Disclosure Commission is the only Agency of the Washington State government created by a vote of the people. In 1970 a group of concerned citizens calling themselves the Coalition for Open Government (COG) gathered signatures for Initiative 276. Initiative 276 appeared on the 1972 General Election Ballot and passed with 72% of the vote. Twenty years later, in 1992, Initiative 134 passed by a similar margin. Initiative 134 established contribution limits and other campaign restrictions governing electoral conduct for elections in the State of Washington.. Think about that. The Public Disclosure Commission was established with overwhelming support from the voters of Washington State, voters who wanted to make the electoral process in Washington State and the money that flows within it more transparent. I encourage you to click and read Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission, Its mission, services, and data files for a great overview. (I found this document in a few clicks via the Wikipedia entry under Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.) I’ve been a resident of Washington State since 1985. I am embarrassed to admit that prior to November, 2016, I was unaware of the Public Disclosure Commission, and until the day of this writing I did not know the first thing about the PDC’s origin. The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) offers a wealth of useful information about election related spending of candidates, lobbyists, and independent election related expenditures for all offices and initiatives within Washington State. Candidates for federal office, i.e. the United States Senate and House of Representatives, work under the rules of the Federal Election Commission. (Interesting note: the FEC, like the PDC, was established in the early 1970s.) The PDC and FEC have to distinct websites, pdf.wa.gov and fec.gov. As a small example of the utility of Public Disclosure Commission data let’s ask, “Who is gathering money to run in the August Washington State Primary for office in the City of Spokane?” I urge you to follow along. Go to pdf.wa.gov, click “Browse” and choose “Candidates by Office Sought.” Set to Election Year “2019.” Leave the setting at “Show All Campaigns.” Scroll down and Click “Municipal” and under that click “City of Spokane” (or anything else of interest). Today, for the purpose of illustration, under “City of Spokane,” click “Mayor, City of Spokane.” There you see seven candidates. The only one I recognize is Ben Stuckart, the current President of the City of Spokane City Council. The Spokesman posted an article mentioning his candidacy for Mayor a few weeks ago. Who knew there were six others already raising money to run for Mayor? Who is this Shawn Poole? He is reporting having raised over $7000. Click his name. Note that $1000 comes from what is presumably his business, “Pooles Public House.” Google “Shawn Poole.” There you will find shawnpoole2019.com, a website that will quickly introduce you to his political bent. (Municipal offices are nominally “non-partisan,” but…) No one wins an election with raising money. The Public Disclosure Commission tells who has started to gather funds and how much. Others may still appear. Candidates officially file to run in the August Primary between Monday, May 13, 2019 and Friday, May 17, 2019. Nonetheless, visiting the PDC now offers advance notice. I present this by way of orientation readily available data. Use it. I hope never again to receive a ballot for an August Primary Election and wonder, “What election is this?” or “Who are these people?” One of these candidates will ultimately represent (or pretend to represent) my interests as a citizen. It behooves me to learn about the candidates before I’m asked to vote. Keep to the high ground, Jerry |