Contribution Limits
In King County, persons or political committees may contribute no more than the aggregate of $1,250 per election cycle to candidates for King County Council, Executive, Sheriff, or Assessor.1 Because this limit applies to each election cycle, donors may contribute up to $1,250 to a candidate in the primary election, and an additional $1,250 in the general election. This limit is inapplicable to candidate’s contributions of personal funds to their own campaigns. Furthermore, the limitation does not take in to account the value of in-kind labor.

For statewide offices, an individual, union, business, or political action committee may contribute up to $1,350 to executive candidates, and up to $675 to legislative candidates per election cycle. Funds earmarked for purposes that do not promote a particular candidate, such as voter registration, precinct caucuses, and get-out-the-vote campaigns, are exempt from the contribution limit. Contributions by a husband and a wife are deemed to be separate contributions. Keep a wary eye on your children’s political beliefs, since campaign contributions made by children under the age of 18 are attributable to their parents.

Candidates for federal office may accept campaign contributions from individuals of up to $2,000 per election cycle. Presidential candidates may accept up to $2,000 from an individual for the entire primary campaign cycle. However, because federal grant funds are given to the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees during the general election, individuals are only permitted to contribute an additional $2,000 to these candidates’ compliance funds (used to pay legal and accounting expenses).

Anything of value given to influence a federal election is considered a contribution. In-kind donations, payment of fees, and even the sale of items at a discounted price are generally chargeable against a donor’s contribution limit. Unpaid labor is excepted from this calculation.

Public Disclosure
Because candidates whose fundraising exceeds a threshold of $3,500 must file frequent disclosure reports with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (federal candidates file with the Federal Election Commission), campaign finance information is easily accessible through numerous internet websites.

The Public Disclosure Commission’s website includes a searchable database of local and statewide candidates’ fundraising information.2 One may search to find out who contributed to a candidate’s campaign and the amount of the contribution. The Federal Election Commission provides a similar service in relation to candidates for federal office.3

Two other websites, opensecrets. org and tray.com, also provide comprehensive and easily searchable databases of federal campaign finance information based on a donor’s name, zip code, employer, or occupation. My personal favorite website for this purpose is fundrace.org, which allows one to search for the names of contributors whose addresses are in close proximity to that of the searcher’s.

Aside from furthering the important public policies behind disclosure of political contributions, these resources enable us to find out which way our neighbor leans without starting a heated political debate.