Democracy Vouchers and the Promise of Fairer Elections in Seattle

In 2017, Seattle inaugurated a new way for citizens to be involved in democracy: they introduced publicly financed vouchers for voters to donate to local candidates. The innovative plan is designed to level the playing field in campaign financing. Through the vouchers, residents allocate dollars to candidates of their choice in local elections, putting political money directly in the hands of voters. The intent is to increase political participation and ameliorate the long-standing representational inequalities of private donations.

Democracy Vouchers and the Promise of Fairer Elections in Seattle critically evaluates the success and impact of this program. Jennifer Heerwig and Brian J. McCabe emphasize how local elections now attract a much wider and more diverse field of both donors and candidates. They also consider external threats to the program, from litigation about the constitutionality of a voucher program to the rise of independent expenditures.

Offering important lessons on how other cities can adopt a similar program, this compelling case study also highlights the obstacles that will likely arise in its implementation.

Jennifer A. Heerwig is Associate Professor of Sociology and Political Science (by Courtesy) at Stony Brook University.

Brian J. McCabe is Provost’s Distinguished Associate Professor of Sociology at Georgetown University. He is the author of No Place Like Home: Wealth, Community and the Politics of Homeownership, and the coeditor of The Sociology of Housing: How Homes Shape Our Social Lives.