Investigating how
innovative policy
can address
political inequality.
In 2015, voters in Seattle, Washington passed I-122, an initiative to create a taxpayer-funded “democracy vouchers” program to finance municipal elections. Concerned about the growing influence of money in politics, proponents of I-122 argued that a public campaign finance system would return control of local politics to the residents of Seattle. In a series of policy reports from the 2017, 2019 and 2021 elections, Dr. Jennifer Heerwig and I documented the development of this first-in-the-nation program.
After four election cycles, we published Democracy Vouchers and the Promise of Fairer Elections in Seattle, the most comprehensive account of the program. Through the lens of participation, representation and renewal, we show how the program is changing the political landscape in Seattle.