Group behind several Washington initiatives fined for campaign violations

OLYMPIA, Wash – The group behind several initiatives on the ballot in Washington was fined $20,000 for campaign finance violations.

The Public Disclosure Commission fined the political action committee Let’s Go Washington for failing to maintain and produce relevant records.

The PDC first started looking into the allegations in June 2023. Two other complaints were filed after.

According to the PDC, Let’s Go Washington “failed to report sub-vendors used by signature gathering firms and failed to produce campaign records when requested by the PDC.”

“LGW has an obligation to inquire and confirm whether its contractors have used sub-vendors,” the PDC wrote in its order. “Failing to ask or failing to follow up on a contractor’s non-response or refusal to provide the information is insufficient. If this were the standard, any committee could simply ignore the issue and argue it has no knowledge of its contractor’s actions and nothing to report.”

The PDC says representatives for the group argued that the charges should be dismissed and that it did not agree with the interpretation of the laws in question.

Let’s Go Washington is behind I-209 supporting the repeal of the capital gains tax, I-2117 which would repeal the Climate Commitment Act and I-214 relating to long-term care coverage.

State campaign finance data shows Let’s Go Washington has raised more than $7 million in contributions this year

You can read the PDC’s decision at this link.

You can also watch the PDC hearing on the matter here.