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-Here we go! Good morning, everybody.
We are very excited to make some announcements this morning.
I want to first begin by thanking all
of the organizations and people
from the People Powered Elections Washington
standing with me, and different organizations.
You'll hear from a couple speakers after me.
And I want to thank Councilmember Bob Kettle
for being here.
He'll say a few words as well.
I want to ground us in a quote.
"The right to vote is precious. It is almost sacred.
It is the most powerful, nonviolent tool
we have in a democracy."
And that was from Representative John Lewis
who we all know is an American Civil Rights leader.
So I'm pleased -- very pleased to be here today
with the Council and community partners
to announce our proposal to renew Seattle's
innovative Democracy Voucher Program
which was first created by voters in 2015
through the Honest Elections Initiative.
And let's stop and clap for our previous efforts right there.
Democracy Vouchers as a tool
have allowed more people to participate
in campaign financing in our city,
making the political process more accessible and inclusive.
And, indeed, that is its intent and that is
how it has worked out in the last ten years.
This program is a local success story in
how we can support increased municipal elections
and empower candidates and voters
from all backgrounds
to have a meaningful role in our democracy.
Seattle is the first city in the nation
to enact this type of -- finance --
campaign financing system, and we have seen promising results.
So let's look at some of the data
that warrants us renewing it in the manner that we are.
Since 2017,
more than 106,000 residents have contributed vouchers
to candidates in city elections,
distributing over $10 million to local campaigns.
I have a visual for those --
you can't see whose these are in the back here --
you guys can -- what they look like,
and this program has led to a more diverse pool
of people running for office,
reflecting the diversity of our city
and leading to more competitive races.
Here in Seattle,
as I've said particularly loudly in the last couple of weeks,
we are proud to include diversity in one of our values
that drive what we do.
We do not run away from that.
Yes. The program is popular with candidates running for offices.
Seventy-six percent of candidates
who appeared on the primary election ballot
and 89% of candidates on the general election ballot
participated in the program.
They are putting it to use.
This Voucher Program is an investment
in a healthy democracy in our city
which is why I'm proposing renewing the levy
that funds this program,
costing the average homeowner about $12 a year.
That's $45 million over ten years
that we can -- we can invest in bringing everyone to the table
to reflect our principles of a democracy
that we cherish so well.
So renewing this program shows Seattle's commitment to ensuring
that all voices, regardless of income or background,
have a role to play in our democracy
to help the future of our city in this area.
So we'll be transmitting this legislation to the City Council
for referral to Seattle voters,
and I look forward to them deciding on the proposal
during the August primary.
So now you'll hear from the process transmitting it
to Councilmember Bob Kettle to share a few words.
Bob, please join us.
-Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
Thank you, everyone, for coming out.
I love the signs. Fantastic. Really appreciate it.
You know, our American experiment in democracy
is facing a number of hurdles at the moment.
We cannot, however,
stop in our pursuit of being a more perfect union.
As a candidate,
I was able to gain such insight in our democracy in action.
I saw how many could participate,
but how many could not.
And this experience drives my support
for the Democracy Voucher Program.
You know, I remember a lady in Queen Anne
who lives in a Seattle Housing Authority home.
She doesn't have much in resources, in money,
but she could participate.
She could participate in our election with her signature
as I sought to qualify for the Democracy Voucher Program,
and then later with the $100 in the Democracy Vouchers.
I could see the smile in her eyes
as she was participating in that election in 2023.
She was democracy in action.
Today, as I mentioned, we are facing hurdles in our democracy.
I remember a President saying that we were, as a country,
a shining city on a hill
with respect to democracy and freedom.
While the other Washington is faltering,
our city, a city of hills,
can be that bright light to the nation and,
really, the world with the Democracy Voucher Program.
And might I say,
especially combined with our top-two system.
This combination really sets us apart from so many,
and really drives my support, again,
for the Democracy Voucher Program.
Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor.
And thank you, everyone, for coming.
-Thank you, Bob.
Next you're going to hear from my dear friend,
Waldo Waldron-Ramsey,
just affectionately known as "Waldo" in many circles,
a leader with the Washington Community Action Network.
He's also a community organizer in healthcare and social justice
and, you know,
his personal story is always one of inspiration for a person
who was -- wrongfully convicted and, once released,
has dedicated all of his efforts and time into social justice.
My pleasure to introduce to you, Waldo!
-Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
My name is Waldo Waldron-Ramsey, and I'm the Political Director
of Washington Community Action Network,
popularly known as "Washington CAN."
We are a grassroots community-based organization
with over 40,000 members,
many of whom live right here in Seattle.
Ten years ago,
Washington CAN members overwhelmingly supported
Initiative I-122, also known as "Honest Elections Seattle."
We stood together because we believed in a simple
but powerful idea,
that everyone deserves to have a say in the future of our city,
not just those who are wealthy and connected.
Initiative I-122 gave us Democracy Vouchers,
a groundbreaking program that ensures every resident,
not just big donors, can help shape our election.
By providing each Seattleite with $100 in vouchers
to support candidates who share their values,
we have broken down financial barriers
and given working-class
and low-income voters a real voice in our democracy.
And it is working.
More diverse candidates are running for office,
and community-driven campaigns are thriving.
Candidates now engage with all of us, not just the wealthy few.
Seattle has proven
that democracy should not be for sale.
It should belong to all of us.
Let us continue using our democracy vouchers
and build a city where everyone -- their voice counts.
Thank you. -Waldo! Thank you, Waldo.
Next you're going to hear from Cinthia Illan-Vazquez,
who you know is the Executive Director for Washington Bus.
In another capacity,
she once served as the Legislative Assistant
to the current Speaker, Laurie Jinkins,
and has started as a community organizer
with the Washington Dream Coalition.
Cinthia, please share a few words with us.
-Good morning, everyone.
My name is Cinthia Illan-Vazquez,
and I serve as the Executive Director of the Washington Bus,
and I'm also a proud member
of the People Power Elections Washington coalition.
Many of the organizations present here today make it up,
including FairVote Washington, Fix Democracy First,
Latino Community Fund,
RepresentUs, Sightline Institute, the Urban League,
Washington CAN, Washington Community Alliance,
individual community leaders, and many more --
all of us who have been advocating for the renewal
of the Seattle Democracy Voucher Program.
One of the primary benefits
of the Democracy Program -- Vouchers Program
has been its ability to empower more individuals
to participate in elections.
By renewing this program,
we are continuing to increase voter engagement,
encouraging small donors to support
their preferred candidates,
and fostering more inclusive and diverse democracy.
The program has already demonstrated many
of its successes.
I've seen the power of it firsthand.
Over the past few years,
I've spent countless hours canvassing
Seattle neighborhoods,
talking to residents about Democracy Voucher Program.
And what strikes me the most
is the genuine excitement from people
when they learn about the program.
Their eyes light up with the realization that they,
too, can participate in our democracy
in this meaningful way.
One conversation I remember vividly
was with a Seattle Central student at Cal Anderson Park
who told me that she never considered contributing
to a candidate
because all of her funds were going to her tuition
and meeting her basic needs.
When I explained the Democracy Voucher Program,
she was so excited to use the vouchers and, guess what?
She did.
And not only does she use her vouchers at election,
but she also submitted her ballot.
This year the program takes on an even more --
deeper meaning for me personally.
As a recent legal permanent resident,
I'm finally able to use the Democracy Vouchers myself.
After -- thank you.
After years of telling people about this program,
I can now experience firsthand what it means
to have my voice heard in our local elections,
even though I still can't vote.
For me and many others, this program isn't just policy.
It's personal.
It opens up the doors for civic participation
that were previously closed to us.
The Democracy Voucher Program represents
a more inclusive vision of democracy,
one where everyone has a voice,
not just those who can vote or make large donations.
By renewing this program,
we're affirming that Seattle values the inputs
of all of its residents.
We can look -- and our shared future together.
We look forward to working together with the Mayor's
Office and City Council to ensure
that voters get the chance to vote on this important program
this upcoming election.
Thank you so much.
-Cinthia, thank you!
So, to close,
I also want to thank the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission,
the commissioners and their staff,
for helping us administer the program
and make sure it's running smoothly.
We continue to learn, and so we've learned a lot.
I've tried to share some data with you
on how well it's working,
and so I want to thank the community again.
If you want to see what democracy and diversity
and inclusion and equity look like,
just look who's all around me. This is us at our best.
So, with that, be more than happy to take a few questions.
Yes, here.
-I'm from the Seattle Medium Newspaper.
Where does the funding come from for this program?
-The funding comes from the taxpayers.
It will cost the average taxpayer around $12 a year,
and through $12 a year,
we'll generate around $45 million over ten years.
And this is a renewal of the levy
that was put in place ten years ago.
Mm-hmm? Yes, ma'am.
-Did you consider making any changes to the program,
like lifting the caps for giving more vouchers per candidate?
-So great question -- so right now we are just renewing it,
and we will construct a workgroup comprised of many
of the folks standing with us,
the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, the councilmember,
and we'll look at what changes based on feedback
we receive on what changes could be made in the program,
such as what you had used as an example.
A change in the caps is a possibility.
But, for now,
we want to renew it and make sure we get it through
and -- and see what changes need to be made in the future.
-I wonder, Mayor, what the data tells you?
If you've got over 100,000 residents
taking advantage of Democracy Vouchers,
but you've got over 750,000,
that's a lot of people that aren't taking advantage of it,
so talk to me about that. -Sure.
-The cost benefit and maybe the work
that needs to be done in terms
of making sure people understand this program,
because I think I heard,
when we're going out and talking to people,
they don't know about it.
-Yeah, and that's why I actually brought one,
such that hope -- if you're going to do one shot on TV,
this is the shot you want right there
because we do look at the redemption rate
and how we can improve that.
And when I'm out there talking to folks and others,
you're right, there's an educational piece.
They do get it,
and at the same time they're getting other things
in the mail,
and so there's an educational component that we want to --
we want to improve involvement.
So it's been growing every year.
So I anticipate, again -- it's new.
It's sort of one of a kind,
and we'll do everything possible to promote it
and educate people to increase the usage rates.
-What happens to the money that's not used?
In other words,
you've got all these vouchers that are available,
but not all being taken advantage of.
-Yeah. So I'm going to have to defer to --
I don't have my finance people.
I'm going to -- so -- so the money,
it goes into the general subfund as part of our budget,
and I don't have much to say on that one.
They're saying I can't really speak to it.
So if you -- why don't you guys give some -- Dan,
do you have some -- some --
-It's rolled over to the next year
for candidates to take advantage of.
It doesn't then --
if it's unused, it doesn't go to other uses.
It's strictly limited to only this [indistinct]
-I wonder -- I mean, I get line items are line items
and they can't transfer from one to the other,
but I'm sort of curious,
just with budget crises and spending money wisely,
I'd love to hear you weigh in on the value of this program
and making sure that the money being asked of taxpayers
is being used to its -- to its most -- fullest potential.
-Sure. So we know that it's extremely popular.
Everywhere we go, people are willing to --
they like what they see.
They like the results.
And so at $12 a year for a homeowner,
we think that, again, when it goes on the ballot
that they'll be in a position to approve it.
The cost of $12 to get the kind of democracy values
implemented on our ballot, we think, is a nominal cost.
But as you well know,
we have some budget challenges in front of us
and when we pass levies we have to sort of sell it
and talk about why it's so important,
and what we're trying to create,
whether it's transportation or housing and,
in this case, fighting for democracy.
So we're very mindful of the cost
but, again, we think this is a nominal cost for the results
and the dividends that it pays.
Please. Sure.
I think Councilmember Kettle may shed some light on that.
-I just want to -- I just wanted to add, you know,
I recognize the --
the fiscal challenges that we face, you know,
particularly with the new administration.
You know, I had a meeting this morning.
You know, we were talking about the -- the state,
the county, and the city, and the challenges that we face,
particularly in this new environment.
But, you know, this is about who we are,
and I think this is about showing, like,
the Seattle values piece.
We talk about, but this is the Seattle values piece in action.
This shows that we're doing this outreach.
We're showing that we're expanding democracy.
In this time where democracy seems to be shrinking,
I think it's -- I think it's --
my point about being that city of hills,
being that shiny light,
is important to show what our values are,
why it's important, and then being more inclusive.
Because if it doesn't
and people move further away from our democratic experience,
that leads to much bigger problems down the road.
So this is an investment in ourselves,
and I believe in it, and I think that -- for that reason,
it's well worth it.
-I know you spoke to this already.
Do you mind explaining a little bit more
on what that Voucher Program meant for you
in terms of your candidacy and -- and your [indistinct]
-Well, what it meant for me was, you know, the outreach.
You know, incredible amount of outreach,
you know, across the district.
And, you know, my example about that lady,
you know, is -- that -- that's real.
I won't use her name, but that's real.
It's about giving those people their voice,
their opportunity to participate.
And so it really pushes the outreach piece.
It really pushes, you know,
the engagement across the board with community.
So you don't get, kind of sucked into one area.
And it's easy to do.
And, by the way, I think from an academic point of view,
this is fantastic, too, because we're seeing --
as time goes by, we're seeing how things morph,
like how the different districts relate to the Voucher Program.
You know?
District 7 is very different from all the other Districts 1
through 6, like in the twenty-three cycle.
Both me and my opponent,
we're -- the rations -- the ratios,
very different than all the other districts.
And now we have the citywides -- the at-large districts.
And we can see how that changes, too,
and so I think from, you know,
an opportunity to see how this is building out over time
is really informational for us as a city.
Thank you. -Thanks, Bob. Okay.
If there aren't any other questions,
let's get this to the Council
and you guys put your secret sauce on it
and hopefully get it to voters
and we'll all celebrate sometime in August for its passage.
Okay? Thank you very much.
[ Cheers and applause ]