Election reform advocates are closely watching Seattle to see whether it becomes a viable model for getting big money out of local politics. Last year the city approved a “democracy vouchers” program, which will publicly fund local candidates through small donors, requiring limits on campaign spending.
Starting in 2017, all registered voters will receive $100 in vouchers from the city government to spend in $25 parcels on their preferred candidates for city office.
If they are successful, the power of the small donor may overtake that of the super PAC.
Since then, two states—Washington and South Dakota—are putting similar programs on this fall’s ballot. Other local governments are considering donor matching programs, in which donations are paired with an extra chunk of public money, much the way New York City has practiced for nearly 30 years.
While their methods may differ, local movements like these share the common goal of cutting big-money influence in elections in a post-Citizens United America. If they are successful, the power of the small donor may overtake that of the super PAC.
New York’s democratic roots
In the wake of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, when public interest in government accountability was high, the federal government and a handful of states adopted public-financing systems in which public money would match campaign donations 1-1 or would be issued to candidates in a grant system. But these programs eventually fell into disuse because taking public money required a candidate to adhere to spending limits, which became unrealistic as campaign costs skyrocketed.
New York City is considered the leader of the modern public-financing movement with the system it adopted in 1988.
In a continual effort to lift the influence of small donors, the city initially matched donations to citywide candidates dollar-for-dollar for a donor’s first $1,000. In the 2001 elections, it shifted its formula to give a 4-1 match for the first $250, and in 2009, it used a 6-1 match for the first $175.
This is now known as a “supermatch system,” and has since been adopted by Los Angeles and, most recently, Montgomery County, Maryland, located in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
New York City is considered the leader of the modern public financing movement with the system it adopted in 1988.
Studies show that in New York City, the supermatch system improved both participation and diversity, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. City Council candidates receive donations from a wider geographic area and more ethnically diverse neighborhoods than before, said Brent Ferguson, attorney at the Brennan Center’s Democracy program.
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