(Image: CHS)

The Seattle City Council’s Governance, Accountability, and Economic Development Committee is set to take up legislation Thursday afternoon that will put the decision on a proposed new $4.5 million a year levy to fund the city’s Democracy Voucher program on the ballot.

CHS reported here on the Harrell administration proposal to renew the program first approved by voters in 2015 in hopes of helping to dampen the power of large campaign donors in the city’s politics.

The proposal from Harrell’s office would expand the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission program with a $45 million property tax over 10 years, “costing the median assessed value Seattle homeowner about $12.20 a year,” according to Harrell’s announcement.

The original $3 million a year program was estimated to cost the typical homeowner around $8 a year.

The city council is taking up the plan with a goal of passing the renewal legislation in time to put the measure on the August primary ballot.

According to a council staff analysis, the increases in the levy are necessary to match “inflationary increases,” costs for program administration including staff, centralized services, and voucher distribution. The number of candidates participating has also continued to grow.

“Although alternative, smaller levy options were considered, an annual levy of $4.5 million is necessary to meet the program’s projected expenditures over the 10-year period,” the analysis concludes.

The rate of use of the vouchers has been a concern but city officials say the numbers justify the cost of the program. “During 2023, SEEC processed over 118,000 vouchers from nearly 31,000 Seattle residents, resulting in the distribution of a little more than $2.4 million to qualifying candidates,” a council analysis reads.

Other analysis of the vouchers has concluded the program “dramatically increased representational equality in Seattle along lines of race, age, and class,” the council memo says. It is also credited with helping to boost the number of candidates participating though the program’s introduction coincided with the city’s move to district elections for its council.

Harrell’s camp is promising changes if the renewal is passed, promising that a workgroup would be convened “in early 2026 to make recommendations on program improvements to reach more residents in diverse communities and empower local campaigns by addressing the role of Political Action Committee (PACs) in municipal elections.”

In 2015, voters passed multiple campaign finance reforms which led to the birth of the vouchers. To fund the Democracy Voucher Program for a total of ten years, voters approved a new $3 million a year property tax. According to the city, the program costs the average homeowner around $8 per year, and properties involved include commercial, businesses, and residential facilities.

Under the program, candidates using vouchers to run for the eligible positions must agree to a fundraising cap. The cap can be lifted if an opponent or third-party political action committees spend more.

In the most recent race to represent District 3 on the council, Joy Hollingsworth received a total of 6,016 democracy vouchers, which reeled in $150,400 — about 70% of her total contributions. Her challenger Alex Hudson garnered 4,722 democracy vouchers that brought in $118,050 for her campaign efforts — also about 70% of her total.

But many D3 democracy vouchers never made it off the breakfast table. Only around 30,000 vouchers were collected in the 2023 races meaning tens of thousands of vouchers went unused.

Seattle voters receive four $25 democracy vouchers from the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission. From there, residents write down the name of their preferred candidate, the date, and their signature on the voucher. The vouchers can be given directly to the candidate’s campaign or mailed to the SEEC which is in charge of approving the completed vouchers.

The city advises disposing of unused democracy vouchers in the recycling bin. Voters can also transition to an online voucher program to assign the certificates. Any unused money rolls into the following election cycle.

The current election season will be another big test for the program. CHS reported here on 2025’s place as a big year for the future of the program. In 2025, the vouchers will support the widest field yet with candidates in the race for Seattle Mayor, City Attorney, and City Council Positions 2, 8, and 9 all eligible for the funding program.

With the council moving toward approval, the renewal is lined up to appear on the ballot in August.

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