What Yang’s talking about was Initiative 122, which Seattle voters approved in 2015 as an experiment in public financing of elections. Through a property tax it gives every Seattle voter $100 worth of “democracy vouchers” to give to candidates. It also lowered contribution limits and capped campaign spending.
The total effect was supposed to be as described in the 2015 voters’ guide: “Powerful special interests are spending record amounts to influence elections … I-122 keeps Seattle of, by and for the people.”
Yet there has never been a Seattle City Council election so dominated by special interests, big businesses and the superwealthy as this year. As of this week, outside influence PACs — mostly business and labor — have raised more money to pour into the 2019 council elections than was spent by outside committees in all previous council races combined, going back to 1995 (that’s as far back as the city’s online records go).
Put another way: Of the top seven money-raising committees seeking to influence the 2019 city vote, only one is connected to a candidate (Kshama Sawant’s campaign). The other six are special interest PACs, representing business, labor or the wealthy (such as the developer-dominated People for Seattle).
The result is a crazy quilt of campaign ads and themes, some of which aren’t true (like flyers with homeless tents Photoshopped into parks). And none of which is controlled or sanctioned by the candidates themselves.