Submit a democracy voucher? Your name is now public
Feb 28, 2019, 6:47 AM
(KIRO 7)
Nearly 2,900 Seattle voters have turned in democracy vouchers to support city council candidates and we know who they are.
According to the city’s publicly available data on its democracy voucher program, 2,840 vouchers have been turned in. Included in that data are the names of each person who donated the vouchers and who they gave them to. This is similar to what is available on the state’s Public Disclosure Commission website — candidates, their funding, and who has donated to them.
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So far, candidate Alex Pedersen has taken in the most democracy vouchers — 420 that have been reported to the city. Pedersen’s campaign reports that it took in another 155 vouchers at an event Feb. 24. Pedersen is running for District 4, which is currently represented by Rob Johnson, who is not running for re-election.
“We earned so many democracy vouchers so quickly because, instead of tweeting on social media, I am speaking directly with thousands of voters in my district — and the voters are the ones with the vouchers,” Pedersen said. “I am earning the trust of the residents from Wedgwood to Wallingford to Eastlake by listening to them and gaining their confidence by demonstrating I am the only candidate with the direct experience and community connections to deliver the accountability they deserve. We believe how people choose to award their vouchers forecasts how they will cast their votes in this vital Seattle election.”
Who has received democracy vouchers?
The following is a list of Seattle City Council candidates and the number of democracy vouchers they have received as of Feb. 26, 2019. Each Seattle voter gets four vouchers worth $25 each. Voters can give them to any council candidate, even if they are not in their district. Candidates must sign up to receive vouchers.
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Pedersen is not the only standout candidate on the list, such as Logan Bowers; Pat Murakami; and Emily Meyers, who all took in more than 100. Current Councilmember Lisa Herbold, Shaun Scott, and Jim Pugel each got more than 200 vouchers.
- Brendan Kolding: 132
- Isaiah Willoughby: 11
- Lisa Herbold: 211
- Phillip Tavel: 20
- Christopher Peguero: 60
- Mark Solomon: 63
- Phyllis Porter: 86
- Tammy Morales: 68
- Ami Nguyen: 56
- Logan Bowers: 186
- Pat Murakami: 134
- Abel Pacheco Jr: 13
- Alex Pedersen: 420
- Emily Meyers: 127
- Joshua Newman: 67
- Sasha Anderson: 35
- Shaun Scott: 214
- Debora Juarez: 72
- John Lombard: 61
- Dan Strauss: 72
- Daniel Jay Fathi: 66
- Jon Lisbin: 34
- Kate Martin: 72
- Andrew Lewis: 96
- Daniela Eng: 88
- Isabelle Kerner: 51
- Jason Williams: 20
- Jim Pugel: 234
- Michael George: 65
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