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Wayne Barnett, Executive Director at the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, opens an envelope of Seattle Democracy Vouchers. Photo by Casey Atkins/Campaign Legal Center
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How Democracy Vouchers Make Elections More Inclusive: A Conversation With Jen Heerwig and Brian McCabe
Running for office today comes with a hefty price tag.
It requires a network of wealthy donors who can foot the campaign bill. With every election cycle, the influence of these megadonors becomes stronger than the voices of everyday Americans in local, state and federal elections.
The 1972 Watergate scandal showed just how much corruption can take place in campaigns. After Watergate, Americans called for new laws to shed light on how presidential elections are paid for. This movement gave birth to what we now know as a “public financing” model.
In “Democracy Vouchers and the Promise of Fairer Elections in Seattle,” authors Jen Heerwig and Brian McCabe examine the promising case study of Seattle. The city was one of the first to implement a public financing model that places money directly in the hands of voters which they can give to candidates of their choosing.
Heerwig and McCabe describe the program’s success — and challenges — attracting a much wider and more diverse field of donors and candidates.
In a conversation with CLC Senior Legal Counsel Aaron McKean, Heerwig and McCabe offered important takeaways from Seattle that can guide the implementation — and protection — of public financing systems nationwide.
