As part of the whirlwind finale to the 2019 session, the Oregon Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 18. Voters will see an initiative on the 2020 ballot to amend the state constitution to allow campaign contribution limits. This could change the political game in Oregon. If a majority of Oregon voters say yes, lawmakers at … Read more
Seattleites are flooding a small office in the Seattle Municipal Tower with stacks of mail. In the last eight weeks, city residents have sent more than 43,000 democracy vouchers to the city, each a small publicly funded donation to candidates running for city office. Though several public financing programs exist across the United States, Seattle’s … Read more
Vox’s podcast “The Impact” kicked off its second season last week with an episode devoted to democracy vouchers. The 30-minute episode, hosted by Vox senior policy correspondent Sarah Kliff, provides an informative look at the origin, implementation and use of democracy vouchers in Seattle politics. Among the key voices in this episode was Sightline executive … Read more
Last fall, Sightline Institute executive director Alan Durning joined Western Washington University (WWU) political science professor Sarah Weir, as well as Washington Policy Center president Dann Mead Smith in a panel discussion of campaign finance in American politics, moderated by WWU’s Paul Dunn. Below is the full panel discussion. You can also watch it here. The … Read more
This morning, Mayor Charlie Hales and Commissioner Steve Novick joined Commissioner Amanda Fritz in approving Open and Accountable Elections Portland, supported by a broad coalition of Portland groups that came together to support the measure. Starting with the city’s 2020 elections, Portland will join cities and states across the United States and Canada in empowering voters … Read more
Did you know in 2012, just 600 big donors accounted for nearly 60 percent of all of the money given to Portland campaigns? Wealthy donors have an outsized influence on elections and drown out the voices of everyday people. Luckily, Portland could find a new way forward with Open and Accountable Elections Portland, a proposal to tighten … Read more
A series of free panel discussions next week will cover several salient topics in the wake of the 2016 elections. The annual Ralph Munro Institute for Civic Education at Western Washington University this year takes on: money in politics and campaign finance; media, elections, and public perception; the homelessness crisis; and mass incarceration. Sightline Institute … Read more
This election, voters in nine states and one province saw a total of 17 democracy reform initiatives on their ballots. The initiatives gave voters a chance to weigh in on issues ranging from voter registration to vote-counting systems, from the role of big money in funding political campaigns to the adoption of game-changing campaign finance … Read more
On November 3, the Portland City Council is holding a hearing on Open and Accountable Elections Portland, a proposal to tighten campaign reporting laws and introduce a public match option for local elections. Yesterday’s article described how Open and Accountable Elections Portland can reduce the influence of big money in local politics and let everyday … Read more
On November 3, the Portland City Council will hold a hearing on Open and Accountable Elections Portland, a proposal to tighten campaign transparency laws and introduce a public match funding option for local elections. Portlanders may be wondering why the Council is considering this proposal and what exactly it will do. This article explains the … Read more
