Seattle's 'Democracy Voucher' program harvests taxpayer money for radical candidates and 'consultants'

Allegations of impropriety and worse are once again being directed at Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program, which uses taxes to fund political campaigns. Over Labor Day weekend, dozens of out of state canvassers were spotted at local events collecting the ballots for local campaigns.

In 2015, Seattle voters approved a property tax of $3 million to fund the Democracy Voucher Program for 10 years. The Democracy Voucher Program gives each Seattle voter $100 in $25 vouchers to give out to "donate" to the campaign of their choice.

Pride Fest attendees reported to Safe Seattle, that canvassers are being paid to collect the vouchers, one of the canvassers claiming that he collected 2,000 vouchers on Saturday which at $25 each, would equal $50,000 in funds for campaigns.

According to the report, the canvasser claimed that he and "his crew are getting paid to gather Democracy Vouchers." He also claimed that "they all came up from California to do this and are making a lot of money."

The canvasser claimed that they were contracted by the consulting firm Prism on behalf of mayoral candidate and current Seattle Council President Lorena Gonzalez, as well as other candidates. Gonzalez is one of the two primary finalists who advanced to the general election and has so far raised $374,350 in voucher funds.

Prism was also the firm behind voucher collection for Andrew Grant Houston, a candidate for Seattle Mayor and former City Council staffer, who managed to get more people to give him money through the Democracy Voucher Program than actually vote for him, in the process raising red flags. Houston who did not advance from the primary was able to bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds through the program.

Houston’s campaign gathered more vouchers by far than any other campaign, almost 14,000 vouchers worth $346,325, coming in behind Gonzalez in vouchers but only managed to finish in sixth place in the contest. At the time his campaign concluded, Houston was paying off $60,000 in student loan debt and owed over $28,000 in back rent on his $1,695/month Capitol Hill apartment where he stopped paying rent at the start of the pandemic, despite still being paid as a staff member of Council Member Teresa Mosqueda. Houston told The Center Square, "I don't think I would be running the Democracy Voucher program didn't exist."

$149,526.12 of the money went to Prism Washington, AKA, Prism West, a consulting firm with a history of representing and promoting activist socialist candidates such as socialist Seattle City Council Member Tammy Morales, who advocated for riots during last summer's unrest.

Prism also worked on the disastrous campaign of Ubax Gaardheere for King County Council, who in 2010 threatened to blow up a school bus filled with children. Her campaign was dogged with questionable out of state contributions.

Nicole Thomas-Kennedy, a police and prison abolitionist, Antifa supporter, riot advocate and current front runner in the race for Seattle City Attorney currently owes $92,708.30 for Prism's services and has collected $201,325 in Democracy Vouchers.

Prism has also been paid $25,045.05 by Seattle City Council Candidate Nikkita Oliver, who is mired in allegations of fraud and worse. Oliver’s campaign has so far collected $288,400 in Democracy Vouchers. Oliver is one of the leaders of King County Equity Now (KCEN) and has advocated for defunding the police and for the money to be given to community groups.

She also advocates for less prisons and releasing criminals. Recently, allegations of money mismanagement and fraud have been leveled against her organization. The Seattle City Council used a loophole to circumvent the bidding process and appropriated 3 million dollars to "non-profit" organizations that were part of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ).

The money appeared to be more of a political payoff to groups involved in the riots and armed occupation of the city, rather than an investment in the community. The money was funneled through the office Council Member Morales. Oliver was a supporter of the Morales campaign and Morales has endorsed Oliver’s campaign for council.

According to The Washington Observer, the Democracy Voucher Program, combined with other changes in the city's campaign finance laws have "moved a big chunk of the political spending in municipal elections onto the taxpayers’ dime. Meanwhile, the vouchers themselves are a kind of pseudo-money that has no other value to the holder. Persuading people to part with them is apparently much easier than asking for real cash."