A federal judge has told the Washington Families PAC that they must abide by the Washington State election laws that cap campaign contributions within 21 days of an election. The PAC had hoped to have an emergency order handed down that would have allowed them to take unlimited contributions in their hateful fight against equal rights in the "Reject Referendum 71" campaign just days before the election, in clear violation of the law.
Current WA law caps campaign contributions at $5,000 within 21 days of an election, requires the names and addresses of those contributing $25 or more and the names and employers of those contributing more that $100. Washington Families PAC challenged that law last week in an effort to back-door contributions in the days leading up to the election, even acknowledging that this was why they filed the lawsuit.
The attorney for the Family Policy Institute of Washington, which filed the lawsuit through its newly formed Family PAC late Wednesday, acknowledged that there are substantial contributions in the offing that the campaign wants to accept but can't because of the limits.
Surprisingly, they failed to mention why those contributions were unavailable during the legal period for unlimited contributions. This lawsuit was a frivolous attempt to close the gap in a contribution battle which was won handily by the "Approve Referendum 71" campaign, which is fighting for equality.
Referendum 71, also known as the "Everything but Marriage" law, seeks to uphold a law passed by the state legislature which extends all of the benefits of civil marriage to domestic partnerships. It has been overshadowed by "Question 1" in Maine, but has been quite contentious and, obviously, litigious. I applaud Judge Ronald Leighton for denying the motion for an emergency restraining order and making "Protect Marriage Washington" play by the same election rules they started their campaign under. You can't change the rules in the middle of the game just because you are losing.
Note, though, that the lawsuit is continuing. It's not quite clear how Families PAC will proceed now that their initial objective has been denied. It seems as though this lawsuit was meant solely to effect the outcome of this specific election, but they may see this through in order to "protect" their donors from being identified publicly. I'm not entirely sure what impact the continuation of this suit will be as far as delaying the extension of benefits to gay couples should the referendum pass, but it seems like there would be a pretty thin argument for a delay.
With just seven days to go until the election, "Protect Marriage Washington" has yet to run a single television ad due to their lack of funding while "Approve Ref. 71" has run many and often. We need to keep this going right up until the last ballot goes in the mail. You can donate up to $5,000 here. All Washington Kossacks remember to get those ballots in the mail by November 3rd.
PS - Remember the name of those state lawmakers who have voiced support for "Protect Marriage Washington" and remember to remove them from office in their next elections. They are:
Rep. Matt Shea (R - 4th Dist.)
Rep. Jim McCune (R - 2nd Dist.)
Sen. Dan Swecker (R - 20th Dist.)
Sen. Val Stevens (R - 39th Dist.) With a special article about her
here.