Seattle candidates again vie for ‘democracy vouchers’ as they pivot to November election

Seattle’s “Democracy Coupons” played a major role in the city’s August 3 primaries, providing candidates for mayor, council and attorney with approximately $ 2 million in taxpayer-funded donations.

Six of the eight candidates who rose from the primary to the November 2 general election are using coupons, although two have already reached the limits set by the program and cannot redeem additional coupons. They can currently still be redeemed for four candidates.

This is the third cycle of elections for the program passed by Seattle voters in 2015, which is unique in the country. Each Eligible Resident will receive four US $ 25 worth of vouchers to mail, online, or in person to recruiters with blank replacement receipt forms.

The city sent out the vouchers in February, but residents can request replacements. Anyone who submitted their vouchers in the area code will no longer receive anything for the Bundestag election.

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What are Democracy Vouchers?

Certificates that Seattle residents can assign to participating candidates to support their campaigns.

Which races are eligible for voucher financing in 2021?

Mayor, two city-wide city council offices and city attorney.

Who can use vouchers?

You must be a Seattle resident; at least 18 years old; and a US citizen, US citizen, or legal permanent resident.

How do I get my vouchers?

If you are a registered voter, you should have automatically received your vouchers in the mail. If you are not a registered voter, you may be able to apply for coupons through the coupon program website.

How do I get replacement vouchers?

You can request replacement vouchers on the program’s website or by calling 206-727-8855. You can request that you have paper vouchers or an online code sent to you by email.

Can I give all of my vouchers to one candidate?

You can give participating candidates one ($ 25), two ($ 50), three ($ 75), or all four ($ 100) of your vouchers.

How do I assign my vouchers?

Democracy Vouchers can be returned directly to a campaign, returned to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, or dropped off at specific locations. You can find out about all of the options on the program’s website.

What happens if I don’t redeem my vouchers?

If you don’t use your coupons, the money will carry over to the next election cycle.

Can I give my vouchers to someone else to assign to me?

No, your vouchers are assigned to you and only you.

Are my vouchers public information?

Yes, as with all candidate donations, voucher assignments are public information and are posted on the program’s website.

For more information, visit seattle.gov/democracyvoucher, call 206-727-8855, or email Democraticvoucher@seattle.gov.

There were more races in 2019 where all seven district seats of the council were contested, but voucher donations will be record-breaking this year.

In 2019, $ 2.4 million in voucher donations were redeemed by candidates. In 2021, candidates have already cashed nearly $ 2.7 million, according to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, which administers the program for the city. This year, for the first time, vouchers from mayoral candidates that were kept out of the program in 2017 will be used.

The program collects $ 3 million in property taxes each year and entered the 2021 electoral cycle with $ 6.8 million in the bank. In order to use vouchers, candidates must agree to restrictions on campaign contributions and expenses.

More than 36,000 Seattle residents donated vouchers this year, accounting for about 7% of registered voters, according to the commission.

“The purpose of the program is to attract more candidates and attract more contributors, and we have seen positive results (in the primary) on each of these counts,” said Executive Director of the Commission, Wayne Barnett.

Mayor race

Under the program, general election mayoral candidates no longer need to redeem vouchers after they have raised a total of $ 400,000, including vouchers and cash. The same upper limit applied in the primary.

Mayoral candidate Bruce Harrell’s campaign had peaked last week, raising nearly $ 360,000 from parliamentary election vouchers, the campaign said.

“Coupons were great for Bruce’s campaign,” said Christian Sinderman, a political adviser who works with Harrell, a former councilor who raised some coupons while talking to voters outside of supermarkets. “You make trade policy a lot more important … you give everyone the opportunity to participate in the game.”

Harrell’s opponent, Council President M. Lorena González, expects to hit the max sometime in September, with most of the $ 400,000 total being raised from vouchers, said campaign manager Alex Koren.

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“We’re having a very aggressive collection effort right now,” said Koren. “We have seen a huge increase in people who want to go out and volunteer.”

In addition to volunteers, there are also paid recruiters. González Campaign works with a consultant whose recruiter collected vouchers for mayoral candidate Andrew Grant Houston in the primary.

Houston’s campaign once battled allegations that an advertiser misled passers-by by asking them to sign voucher forms to “help the homeless,” and the González campaign is investigating a similar allegation, Koren said. Candidates will be trained to present relevant topics from candidate platforms and then provide candidate information, said Riall Johnson of Prism West.

Other races

In the race for position 8 in the council, a city-wide seat, incumbent Teresa Mosqueda collects vouchers, while challenger Kenneth Wilson does not participate in the program. In the race for position 9, also a citywide seat, Nikkita Oliver maxed out, hitting the cap of $ 187,500 for citywide council candidates while Sara Nelson did not use coupons.

Oliver, an educator and artist who ran for mayor’s office in 2017 with no vouchers, said the program allowed candidates to compete “with little ties to affluent communities” and made a difference.

“It really opens up democracy … to a lot more people,” said Oliver.

In 2017, Oliver was only able to pay the campaign workers in June. Campaign workers were hired much earlier this year and the Oliver campaign was able to pay small business owners for space, art and meals rather than accepting them as donations, the candidate said.

This spending means “public dollars are pouring back into the community,” added Oliver.

Nelson, a brewery owner, said she decided not to use coupons because she was concerned when she started her campaign in January that COVID-19 restrictions would make qualifying for the program too difficult. To qualify, she would have had to collect signatures from 400 voters.

Council candidates using coupons can accept up to $ 300 in cash per donor, while those not participating in the program can accept up to $ 550 in cash per donor.

Nelson said she supported the underlying idea of ​​the program – to increase civic engagement and make big money out of politics. However, she has questions about whether the program is achieving all of its goals, she said, citing allegations of paid recruiters.

“I don’t know if it was the kind of civic engagement that was intended,” she said.

While the program has somewhat capped candidates’ spending, spending by independent political action committees has increased, Nelson noted.

The two prosecutors Nicole Thomas-Kennedy and Ann Davison collect vouchers. Thomas-Kennedy should get the most out of it by the end of this month, said Johnson, whose recruiter works for her campaign.

“Honestly, without democracy coupons, I don’t think I would have a campaign,” said Thomas Kennedy, a former public defender. “I have no money … I know very few people with money.”

Voucher donations have enabled Thomas-Kennedy to hire campaign workers, buy goods and send mailers to voters with their ideas, she said.

Davison didn’t qualify for the program until after the primary, but is now reaping benefits, she said. “It really helps people feel involved,” she said.

Since the vouchers are funded by property taxes, “I intend to be very stingy on using them,” added Davison, an attorney.

Daniel Beekmann:
206-464-2164 or dbeekman@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @dbeekman. Seattle Times reporter Daniel Beekman covers the Seattle city government and local politics.