Local elections in Seattle are always so unique. Growing up in unincorporated Snohomish County, I wasn’t able to vote for the mayor or council members of my closest city. When I moved to Seattle, I distinctly remember going to my first candidate forum and seeing 12 candidates for my new city council. I got to see the stage filled with people whose visions aligned and diverged in different places, who all aspired to represent me in different ways.
I soon learned that it is no accident that Seattle candidates have such diverse backgrounds and values, representing varied communities across the city. Seattle’s democracy voucher program has been around for a decade, allowing residents to give four $25 vouchers to local candidates of their choice. For the yearly property tax price of a latte, we all get the opportunity to invest in community members who will represent our voices.
This is why it is vital that all of us vote yes on Proposition 1 on our August 5 primary ballots to renew the democracy voucher program for another 10 years.
The data shows that the program is working. It has increased voter turnout by 5%. It has been shown to engage people of color and young voters, and increase their likelihood of remaining lifelong participants. Since the introduction of democracy vouchers, small donations to campaigns have increased fivefold, and big donations from outside of the city have plummeted.
Even the most well-connected candidates are now incentivized to spend more time talking to voters than calling up outside donors. Vouchers have redirected those candidates’ energy away from the wealthy few and back to the doors, talking to their neighbors.
Democracy vouchers also give first-time and unlikely candidates a path to step forward. If people can only run for office if they have access to high-money networks, that is not a democracy. By turning unlikely donors into key parts of city campaigns, Seattle empowers us to support the candidates we want instead of just focusing on who seems most likely to win. Democracy vouchers have allowed me to support friends who would not have otherwise been able to run, but who I felt really represented my values.
In a moment where we’re seeing our rights eroded, our voting access under attack by Congress, and corporate CEOs openly attempting to buy elections, now more than ever we must continue to invest in proven systems that put people first. Protecting this successful institution of Seattle elections is how we keep our democracy strong.
Connecting with people about democracy vouchers has always been the highlight of my summer. Every time I knock on a door and tell someone new about the program, the light in their eyes is wonderful to see. So, when your ballot arrives, fill out “yes” on Seattle Proposition 1 so we can keep funding this massively beneficial program. And if you haven’t used your democracy vouchers yet, look up who is running for you and your values and send some democracy vouchers their way.
Jazmine Smith is co-chair of The Urbanist Elections Committee, which has also endorsed a ‘yes’ vote on Seattle Proposition 1.
Jazmine Smith
Jazmine Smith (she/her) is co-chair of The Urbanist Elections Committee and a political hack/policy wonk who won’t shut up about niche local and statewide politics, bikes, bus lanes and building more housing. She has been serving on the Queen Anne Community Council as a board member and formerly Transportation Co-Chair, and serves on the Uptown Land Use Review Committee. She’s an ardent renter in Lower Queen Anne and e-bikes around town when she doesn’t just take the bus/train. Jazmine loves being an organizer and will relationally organize YOU into caring about things.