Recommendation to amend Section 9.7.3 ("Campaign Contributions Cap")

[Scott Forbes]

Hi Democrats,

Section 9.7.3 of the bylaws currently reads:

Campaign contributions may only be made only from a line item in the budget that is set aside exclusively for that purpose. If the budget includes a line item for campaign contributions, the line item may not exceed 10% of the total budget. The line item does not need to be earmarked for specific campaigns, and the maximum amount that may be contributed to any individual campaign may be up to the total amount in the line item. 

Last year the organization hit the 10% cap relatively quickly, with a tenth of KCDCC’s budget going to an in-kind donation (production of a video) to SeaTac City Council candidates. The Finance Committee has requested that we raise the cap to 30%, with the rationale being that (1) we could be doing more for candidates without breaking the bank; and (2) the cap may interfere with our fundraising efforts, if donors believe that 90% of their donation will not be spent directly on candidates. The BRC discussed this request at our January meeting.

The BRC discussed the purpose of the campaign contributions cap, which was to impose fiscal discipline on an organization that, in past years, had bankrupted itself by giving all its money to candidates and then not having anything left to cover day-to-day expenses. The cap, along with other provisions in the bylaws, encourages KCDCC to make strategic decisions about candidate spending (i.e., to spend money in races where our spending might tip the balance) and to invest more in year-round organizing and party-building activities (e.g., PCO recruiting and training, supporting LDs, lobby day etc.). The cap was also set at 10% because the drafters of the bylaws reform proposal believed that no one would ever request it be lowered.

The BRC discussed KCDCC’s process for deciding which candidates to support financially, with some members expressing that that process is relatively opaque, especially for first-time candidates. Members also noted that the cap was reached last year after passing a single motion from the Finance Committee to produce the SeaTac video. We recognized, however, that these issues were largely out of the BRC’s scope, which was limited to “should the cap be raised.” After debate (which included discussion of whether to eliminate the cap entirely, raise it to 15%, etc.), the BRC voted to recommend amending Section 9.7.3 to raise the cap to 30%.

Thanks,

— Scott