A decade in, and up for renewal in August, Seattle's model campaign funding program has blasted past even its ambitious initial goals.
Money doesn't always win elections. But it sure does help.
And Cascadia's biggest city has a proven tool that democratizes who gives to city-level candidates: democracy vouchers. The program is now ten years old and has been through enough election cycles to tell if it's working as intended.
The conclusion? This program is crushing its goals.
It has unlocked
"an incredible explosion of participation"
of people giving to candidates, in the words of researcher Dr. Jennifer Heerwig of Stonybrook University (who, with coauthor Brian McCabe of Georgetown University, wrote the actual book on Seattle's democracy voucher program). The people who donate to Seattle campaigns are now a much more diverse slice of the city's population than they used to be. Big-dollar and out-of-city campaign contributions have fallen dramatically.
And it's fundamentally changed how candidates approach running for office. No longer spending all their time dialing for dollars, candidates instead visit potential "donors" - regular Seattle residents - door to door, collecting vouchers, small-dollar donations, and ideas for what the people of Seattle care about most. Since the program began, Seattle voters have been able to choose from a greater variety of candidates and seen more competition between people running. That's increased the accountability of officeholders and the transparency of elections: both wins for local democracy.
After ten years, the miniscule property tax levy that funds the program is expiring, and Seattle voters have an opportunity to renew it in August's primary election.
Ten years of democracy vouchers
When Seattle voters first adopted democracy vouchers in 2015 as part of a broader package of good governance and transparency reforms, democracy vouchers were a new idea and a break from other public financing designs that mostly offer matching funds or grants.
Under the program (of which- full disclosure- Sightline Institute was the principal designer), Seattle residents receive four $25 vouchers for each election cycle. They can donate the vouchers to qualifying candidates, who redeem them for money from the city. Participating candidates pledge to abide by contribution and spending limits, disclose their finances, and take part in a certain number of public forums. Since residents don't have to spend any of their own money to donate to candidates, the program has made political giving accessible to everyone.
The program now covers all city races and has an online option in addition to the original paper vouchers. It's benefited from a certain degree of administrative flexibility: the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC), which oversees the program, has made tweaks over the years in response to feedback from candidates and others to ensure its continued viability and use. The SEEC's management also holds campaigns that use the program more accountable, since the office tracks other campaign finances too.
Candidates and Seattle-ites have now used the program in six election cycles, and researchers have evaluated its effectiveness each time - recording just how much it's opened up the Emerald City's systems of democracy. This program has multiplied the number of everyday Seattle-ites who give to campaigns; elevated city residents over out-of-town donors; transitioned the bulk of campaign funds to come from small donations rather than large gifts; encouraged more Seattle-ites to vote; and fundamentally changed who runs for office and how they connect with voters.
Here are six reasons Seattle-ites can be proud of Democracy Vouchers:
1. More people in Seattle now give to city candidates than do people anywhere else
Before the democracy voucher program, Seattle's elections were overwhelmingly funded by rich white people who live in houses with great views. A tiny 1.5 percent of Seattle adults gav...