Democracy Vouchers and the Promise of Fairer Elections in Seattle [Paperback]

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 Seattlecritically 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."[A] straightforward review of the problem of monetary inequalities in American elections.... Heerwig and McCabe provide several valuable lessons to those interested in democracy vouchers….Democracy Vouchersis an indispensable read for anyone interested in democracy vouchers specifically or campaign finance more generally."—Contemporary Sociology“Thirty years after Bruce Ackerman proposed an idea for changing the way money might affect politics, Heerwig and McCabe provide the first comprehensive account of its success in the first American city to adopt it. Democracy vouchers radically improve democracy—increasing participation, driving voter renewal, and substantially improving representation in city government. This beautifully crafted story willlóQ