(2) Whenever candidates for a partisan office are to be elected, the general election must be preceded by a primary conducted under this chapter. Based upon votes cast at the primary, the top two candidates will be certified as qualified to appear on the general election ballot((, unless only one candidate qualifies as provided in RCW 29A.36.170)).

(3) No primary may be held for any single ((county)) position in any partisan ((office to fill an unexpired term if, after the last day allowed for candidates to withdraw, only one)) primary if, after the last day allowed for candidates to withdraw, there are no more than two candidates ((has)) who have filed for the position. The county auditor shall, as soon as possible, notify all the candidates so affected that the office for which they filed will not appear on the primary ballot.

(4) For partisan office, if a candidate has expressed a party preference on the declaration of candidacy, then that preference will be shown after the name of the candidate on the primary and general election ballots as set forth in rules of the secretary of state. A candidate may choose to express no party preference. Any party preferences are shown for the information of voters only and may in no way limit the options available to voters.

(2) No person, other than a bona fide political party or a caucus political committee, may make contributions to a candidate for a legislative office, county office, city council office, mayoral office, school board office, or public hospital district board of commissioners that in the aggregate exceed eight hundred dollars or to a candidate for a public office in a special purpose district or a state office other than a legislative office that in the aggregate exceed one thousand six hundred dollars for each election in which the candidate is on the ballot or appears as a write-in candidate; PROVIDED, contributions that in the aggregate do not exceed one thousand six hundred dollars may be made to any candidate who does not appear on the ballot due to operation of RCW 29A.52.112 or 29A.52.220. Contributions to candidates subject to the limits in this section made with respect to a primary may not be made after the date of the primary. However, contributions to a candidate or a candidate's authorized committee may be made with respect to a primary until thirty days after the primary, subject to the following limitations: (a) The candidate lost the primary; (b) the candidate's authorized committee has insufficient funds to pay debts outstanding as of the date of the primary; and (c) the contributions may only be raised and spent to satisfy the outstanding debt. Contributions to candidates subject to the limits in this section made with respect to a general election may not be made after the final day of the applicable election cycle.

(3) No person, other than a bona fide political party or a caucus political committee, may make contributions to a state official, a county official, a city official, a school board member, a public hospital district commissioner, or a public official in a special purpose district against whom recall charges have been filed, or to a political committee having the expectation of making expenditures in support of the recall of the state official, county official, city official, school board member, public hospital district commissioner, or public official in a special purpose district during a recall campaign that in the aggregate exceed eight hundred dollars if for a legislative office, county office, school board office, public hospital district office, or city office, or one thousand six hundred dollars if for a special purpose district office or a state office other than a legislative office.

(4)(a) Notwithstanding subsection (2) of this section, no bona fide political party or caucus political committee may make contributions to a candidate during an election cycle that in the aggregate exceed (i) eighty cents multiplied by the number of eligible registered voters in the jurisdiction from which the candidate is elected if the contributor is a caucus political committee or the governing body of a state organization, or (ii) forty cents multiplied by the number of registered voters in the jurisdiction from which the candidate is elected if the contributor is a county central committee or a legislative district committee.

(b) No candidate may accept contributions from a county central committee or a legislative district committee during an election cycle that when combined with contributions from other county central committees or legislative district committees would in the aggregate exceed forty cents times the number of registered voters in the jurisdiction from which the candidate is elected.

(5)(a) Notwithstanding subsection (3) of this section, no bona fide political party or caucus political committee may make contributions to a state official, county official, city official, school board member, public hospital district commissioner, or a public official in a special purpose district against whom recall charges have been filed, or to a political committee having the expectation of making expenditures in support of the state official, county official, city official, school board member, public hospital district commissioner, or a public official in a special purpose district during a recall campaign that in the aggregate exceed (i) eighty cents multiplied by the number of eligible registered voters in the jurisdiction entitled to recall the state official if the contributor is a caucus political committee or the governing body of a state organization, or (ii) forty cents multiplied by the number of registered voters in the jurisdiction from which the candidate is elected if the contributor is a county central committee or a legislative district committee.

(b) No official holding an office specified in subsection (1) of this section against whom recall charges have been filed, no authorized committee of the official, and no political committee having the expectation of making expenditures in support of the recall of the official may accept contributions from a county central committee or a legislative district committee during an election cycle that when combined with contributions from other county central committees or legislative district committees would in the aggregate exceed forty cents multiplied by the number of registered voters in the jurisdiction from which the candidate is elected.

(7) Notwithstanding subsections (2) through (5) of this section, no person other than an individual, bona fide political party, or caucus political committee may make contributions reportable under this chapter to a caucus political committee that in the aggregate exceed eight hundred dollars in a calendar year or to a bona fide political party that in the aggregate exceed four thousand dollars in a calendar year. This subsection does not apply to loans made in the ordinary course of business.

(8) For the purposes of RCW 42.17A.125, 42.17A.405 through 42.17A.415, 42.17A.450 through 42.17A.495, 42.17A.500, 42.17A.560, and 42.17A.565, a contribution to the authorized political committee of a candidate or of an official specified in subsection (1) of this section against whom recall charges have been filed is considered to be a contribution to the candidate or official.

(9) A contribution received within the twelve-month period after a recall election concerning an office specified in subsection (1) of this section is considered to be a contribution during that recall campaign if the contribution is used to pay a debt or obligation incurred to influence the outcome of that recall campaign.

(11) RCW 42.17A.125, 42.17A.405 through 42.17A.415, 42.17A.450 through 42.17A.495, 42.17A.500, 42.17A.560, and 42.17A.565 apply to a special election conducted to fill a vacancy in an office specified in subsection (1) of this section. However, the contributions made to a candidate or received by a candidate for a primary or special election conducted to fill such a vacancy shall not be counted toward any of the limitations that apply to the candidate or to contributions made to the candidate for any other primary or election.

(12) Notwithstanding the other subsections of this section, no corporation or business entity not doing business in Washington state, no labor union with fewer than ten members who reside in Washington state, and no political committee that has not received contributions of ten dollars or more from at least ten persons registered to vote in Washington state during the preceding one hundred eighty days may make contributions reportable under this chapter to a state office candidate, to a state official against whom recall charges have been filed, or to a political committee having the expectation of making expenditures in support of the recall of the official. This subsection does not apply to loans made in the ordinary course of business.

(13) Notwithstanding the other subsections of this section, no county central committee or legislative district committee may make contributions reportable under this chapter to a candidate specified in subsection (1) of this section, or an official specified in subsection (1) of this section against whom recall charges have been filed, or political committee having the expectation of making expenditures in support of the recall of an official specified in subsection (1) of this section if the county central committee or legislative district committee is outside of the jurisdiction entitled to elect the candidate or recall the official.

(a) An expenditure or contribution earmarked for voter registration, for absentee ballot information, for precinct caucuses, for get-out-the-vote campaigns, for precinct judges or inspectors, for sample ballots, or for ballot counting, all without promotion of or political advertising for individual candidates;


State of Washington	64th Legislature	2016 Regular Session