The Capitol Rotunda is seen on the last day of the third special session July 20, 2017, in Olympia.
Two Democratic state lawmakers plan on introducing a bill to cap campaign donations for local port races as a Port of Vancouver commissioner race has seen more than $650,000 in contributions from two organizations.
State Reps. Sharon Wylie and Monica Stonier, both from Vancouver, announced their plan in a press release last week.
According to the press release, the Legislature enacted limits for the Port of Seattle and the Port of Tacoma commissioner races but left all other port races uncapped.
“That is a loophole large enough to steer an oil tanker through,” Stonier said in a press release. “Contribution limits force candidates to seek broad support from the community and help to ensure all voices can be heard in our democratic process.”
Under current law, contribution limits are only in place for port commission races with 200,000 or more registered voters in the district; only Seattle and Tacoma meet that threshold. The proposed legislation would impose the same $2,000 contribution limit on individuals, businesses and organizations on all port races regardless of size.
“How can the public be assured there will be no conflicts of interest when a candidate’s campaign can be almost single-handedly bankrolled by a single donor?” Wylie said in a press release. “Most races for public office, including mine, are subject to contribution limits. It’s clear, based on what we’ve seen in our local port commissioner race that contribution limits should apply statewide.”
The Legislature will convene for 60 days starting on Jan. 8.
