Seattle could be second city to limit super PAC spending in elections

A Seattle official is proposing a ban on major donations in local elections.

It comes after $13 million was raised for this year's campaigns for city council.

Seattle already caps individual donations to candidates at $500. The proposal by Councilmember Lorena González would set a new limit on how much anyone can donate to Political Action Committees. Her proposal: $5,000 max donation to a single PAC. The legislation also prohibits campaign donations from "foreign-influenced companies."

That would have prevented, for example, the large contributions from Amazon, other corporations, and wealthy people this year.

There is already discussion about whether it would face a court challenge, on free speech grounds. González says she's prepared.

"We will be focusing on bringing in a national and local panel of subject matter experts," she says. "This can be a rather confusing and complex subject when we're dealing with campaign finance reform laws."

She wants to consult, specifically, with officials in St. Petersburg, Florida, the only U.S. city with an anti-super PAC ordinance.

González plans to hold a vote in January. This week was the introduction. If passed, it would go into effect for the 2021 elections.