|
Voter-Owned Elections
Over the past decade, the average cost of a competitive campaign for a Seattle City Council has climbed to around $250,000. Plenty of smart, qualified people would love to run, but the price tag has run so high in recent cycles that otherwise great leaders sit out. I don’t think money should determine who runs and serves.
You may have heard voter-owned elections referred to as “public campaign financing” or “clean campaigns,” but it’s all the same idea: a system that allows a candidate to qualify for public funds to run a competitively financed electoral campaign if he or she is able to demonstrate a broad base of community support. Candidate participation would be optional, but participants would agree to standards such as limits on private fundraising, a limit on using personal funds, or limits on third-party funding assistance.
In 2009 and early 2010, I will be collaborating with my colleagues, the Mayor’s office, you, and other interested civic organizations to conduct public outreach, review voter-owned elections models in other jurisdictions, and determine potential costs and financing plans. Whatever proposal the Council develops will go before voters for approval or rejection, so you’ll ultimately decide whether Seattle will have a voter-owned elections program.
In early 2008, the City Council and Mayor convened a Campaign Public Financing Advisory Committee (CPFAC) to consider the many issues wrapped up in voter-owned elections. The group issued a final report in June, 2008, and the Council’s proposed timeline and program planning will work from the CPFAC’s findings. Click here read the CPFAC’s majority report and here to read the CPFAC’s minority report.
I’ll look forward to hearing from you as we develop the program in the months ahead.
|
