Elections, money spent on

TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF 1
REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF 2
THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE MAJORITY LEADER 3
OF THE SENATE AND MINORITY LEADERS OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF 4
REPRESENTATIVES: 5
We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of 6
the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, 7
respectfully represent and petition as follows: 8
WHEREAS, Congress and the several states have for many years 9
exercised the authority to regulate and restrict the size of 10
financial contributions to political candidates and ballot issues, to 11
bar the anonymous use of such funds, and to require that individual 12
candidates approve publicly the messages used on their behalf; and13
WHEREAS, There has been a sudden and substantial increase in 14
large financial contributions, in donations made and used 15
anonymously, and in donations made to entities nominally separate 16
from the candidates and outside their control to affect the state and 17
federal elections since 2012, and such contributions may reasonably 18
be expected to grow in number and size; and 19
WHEREAS, Expenditures that are extremely large, expenditures that 20
are made anonymously, and expenditures made by entities nominally 21
separate from and outside the control of individual candidates 22
threaten the integrity of the election process by diluting the voices 23
S-0019.2
SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 8001
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators Hasegawa, Conway, Trudeau, Valdez, and Wellman
Prefiled 12/23/24. Read first time 01/13/25. Referred to Committee
on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections.
p. 1 SJM 8001
of other donors, distorting public discourse, and diminishing the 1
constitutionally protected right to vote; 2
NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the 3
congress of the United States exercise the authority granted to it 4
under Article V of the Constitution to pass and send to the several 5
states for ratification an amendment to the Constitution that:6
(1) Returns to Congress and the legislatures of the states:7
(a) The authority to regulate the size and timing of 8
contributions to election campaigns, whether made to candidates or to 9
ballot measures, and whether such contributions are made directly to 10
campaigns or to groups making independent expenditures related to 11
such campaigns; 12
(b) The authority to distinguish between natural persons and 13
other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting 14
such entities from spending money to influence elections; and15
(c) The authority to require timely public disclosure of the 16
source and amount of all such contributions; 17
(2) States that the rights listed and acknowledged in the 18
Constitution of the United States are the rights of individual human 19
beings only; 20
(3) States that the judiciary shall not construe the spending of 21
money to be free speech under the first amendment to the Constitution 22
of the United States; 23
(4) Requires that all political contributions and expenditures be 24
disclosed promptly and in a manner accessible to voters prior to 25
elections; and 26
(5) States that the amendment does not limit the rights of 27
individual human beings to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, 28
free exercise of religion, or freedom of association.29
BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately 30
transmitted to the Majority Leader of the Senate and Minority Leaders 31
of the Senate and House of Representatives, the President of the 32
United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 33
and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.34
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p. 2 SJM 8001