Resolution to Support Voter-Owned Elections
in Seattle and King County

Whereas both Seattle and King County had popular public campaign financing programs that were prohibited by a little-noticed provision of I-134 in 1991, and;

Whereas the 2008 Washington State Legislature repealed that prohibition and restored the ability of counties, cities and other local districts (excluding school districts) to develop and fund their own voter-owned election programs using locally-derived public funds, subject to voter approval or rejection in a referendum or advisory ballot at the next election, and;

Whereas the amount of campaign funds necessary to run a competitive City Council or County Council campaign is averaging over $200,000, and;
Whereas, fund raising for campaign contributions is a time-consuming distraction from the job of council member and from communicating directly with voters; and

Whereas other cities—including Portland, Oregon—have designed and enacted Voter-Owned Elections (VOE) programs whereby public funds are available to candidates who demonstrate community support and viability through qualifying signatures and small contributions; and these programs are widely used and have proved successful and popular with voters, candidates, community businesses, organizations and campaign professionals; and,

Whereas established Voter-Owned Elections programs are affordable to taxpayers, often costing less than $5 per resident per year, and VOE programs are proving successful in limiting the overall spending on campaigns;

Therefore be it Resolved: that this organization supports the use of public funds to pay for a viable primary and general election campaign for a local candidate who has raised sufficient small qualifying donations, under a program where that candidate chooses to run only on public funds, free of any private financial influences, and;

Be it further resolved: that this organization urges members of the Seattle City Council and the King County Council to speedily enact enabling ordinances that will create such a program and place it before the voters on the November ballot.

Be it further Resolved: that a copy of this resolution be mailed to
Washington Public Campaigns, P.O. Box 70452 Seattle WA 98127

Approved by____________________________ Date______________

VOTER-OWNED ELECTION RESOLUTION
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