PDC chair finds violations in dozens of 2025 C4 filings; most fines suspended with conditions

Chair Jay Leach opened the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission’s Jan. 29 adjudicative hearing calendar and said the panel would hear a long list of cases involving missing C4 expenditure-summary reports from the 2025 general election. Jordan Campbell and Ashley Joslin presented staff recommendations for individual respondents. "We have a long calendar today," Leach said at the start of the session.

Leach told respondents that the commission would follow its established penalty schedule for first-time violations but noted the penalties that would apply if these violations had occurred in 2026 would be higher. In multiple rulings he found violations as alleged and assessed civil penalties, frequently suspending the bulk of the fine provided respondents file any missing reports within 30 days, pay the unsuspended portion within 30 days, and avoid additional filing violations for four years. "I'm going to find a violation," Leach said repeatedly as he announced outcomes and suspension conditions for each case.

Why it matters: the C4 reports are the statutory mechanism for short-term campaign expenditure reporting ahead of and following general elections. The commission used the calendar to enforce timely filing while often conditioning leniency on corrected filings and a period without repeat violations. The PDC also offered tutorials and staff assistance to first-time filers and candidates who said they had technical trouble or did not realize zero-dollar campaigns still require C4 filings.

Next steps and follow-up: respondents who were ordered to pay unsuspended amounts were told they would receive a written order and instructions for payment; those who needed help filing were told to contact PDC staff for one-on-one assistance. The commission adjourned after concluding the calendar.