Washington – The Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) has issued a $20,000 fine to the political action committee Let’s Go Washington (LGW), with half of the fine suspended, for violations of Washington state campaign finance laws.
The PDC found that LGW failed to report subvendors used by its signature-gathering firms and did not provide campaign records when requested. In its order, the Commission noted that LGW has an obligation to ensure its contractors disclose such information.
The Commission reviewed the case during a special meeting on Oct. 3. Fines for violations can reach up to $10,000 each.
Let’s Go Washington, sponsored and founded by Brian Heywood, was formed in 2022 to support several legislative initiatives, three of which were accepted by the Legislature and became law. Three additional initiatives are on the November general election ballot.
The PDC opened a compliance case against LGW in July 2023 following a complaint, which led to additional complaints being added to the investigation. In September, the PDC filed administrative charges against LGW, alleging failures to report subvendor use, maintain complete campaign records, and accurately break down expenditures for signature gathering.
Representatives for LGW argued that the charges should be dismissed, claiming compliance with the law in their reporting practices.
Following the ruling, Defend Washington released a statement emphasizing the need for accountability in campaign finance and calling for further investigations into LGW’s activities.
“Today, the Public Disclosure Commission took an important step towards holding Let’s Go Washington accountable for their violations of our public financing and disclosure laws. It’s now clear that from the outset, Let’s Go Washington has been determined to conceal important information from and mislead voters about their dangerous and destructive ballot initiatives and how they were qualified for the ballot. The one play in their playbook all along has been: deceive, conceal, and mislead. Unfortunately, because of Let’s Go Washington’s failure to produce required records, the public still does not know how much was spent on qualifying each of the organization’s six initial initiatives. Moreover, this is only one issue with the duplicitous and unlawful ways that Let’s Go Washington has been operating. Defend Washington has also filed two separate complaints related to Let’s Go Washington’s gas and food discount events. It is a criminal violation in Washington to offer consideration or gratuities or other inducements to influence people to vote yes or no on an initiative, and these events are in clear violation of that law. The Public Disclosure Commission should now move swiftly, before election day, to refer these separate violations to the Attorney General for investigation and appropriate sanction,” Defend Washington stated.
In response, Brian Heywood defended LGW, asserting that the committee adhered to all reporting requirements and that the PDC’s ruling could set a concerning precedent regarding vendor oversight.
The PDC’s decision is part of an ongoing review of campaign finance practices as the election approaches.
