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SGS - ACTION ITEM: (1) Discussion of Democracy Vouchers and (2) If Desired, Recommendation to the City Council.
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Meeting Date: October 8, 2025
Contact Person/Dept.: Shelly Wolfberg/City Manager’s Office
Phone Number: (310) 253-6000
Fiscal Impact: Yes [ ] No [X] General Fund: Yes [ ] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No [ ]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - Standing Governance Subcommittee (10/03/2025)
Department Approval: Jesse Mays, Assistant City Manager (10/02/2025) _____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Standing Governance Subcommittee (1) discuss Democracy Vouchers and, (2) if desired, make a recommendation to the City Council.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
At the April 2, 2025, Standing Governance Subcommittee Meeting, the Subcommittee discussed Democracy Vouchers and the desire to add this topic to its Work Plan. In recent years, there has been some interest nationwide in public campaign financing systems that seek to enhance civic engagement, increase transparency, and reduce the influence of large donors in local elections. Under this system, eligible residents are provided with publicly funded vouchers that can be assigned to participating local candidates who agree to spending limits and other transparency measures. The program aims to empower a broader cross-section of residents to participate in campaign financing, particularly those historically underrepresented in political contributions.
The Subcommittee may decide to discuss key considerations regarding the potential adoption of a similar program in Culver City, including goals, implementation options, costs, and possible impact on elections.
Components to Consider for a Democracy Voucher Program
• Eligibility - For example, residents of Culver City 18 years or older and/or registered voters.
• Voucher Distribution - Vouchers mailed or available digitally to residents, or both?
• Candidate Participation - Voluntary; candidates to meet criteria such as collecting a minimum number of small donations and signatures.
• Transparency - Public reporting of voucher contributions, spending limits, and audits.
• Legal Authority - The City may need to place a Charter Amendment or Ballot Measure before voters depending on the proposed governance structure.
• Program Administration - Likely to be managed by the City Clerk or an independent campaign finance office; could involve third-party technology vendors for voucher tracking and verification. For example, an Office of Campaign and Political Finance is an independent agency that administers campaign finance law, and the limited public financing program for municipal candidates. The Campaign Finance Office may be the depository for reports of contributions received and expenditures made by candidates and political committees. The Program Administration would come at an unknown additional cost to the City.
• Equity and Accessibility - The program must ensure outreach to underrepresented communities and may require providing vouchers in multiple languages and accessible formats.
• Stakeholder Input - Prior to implementation, the City Council may recommend conducting community engagement, including Town Halls and public meetings; input from former and prospective local candidates; and collaboration with community organizations and civic groups.
• Costs - The City would need to provide the funding represented by the vouchers. The maximum amount of funding for the entire pool of vouchers and the maximum amount per candidate would need to be determined. The source of the City’s funding for the vouchers would also need to be determined.
City of Seattle Model
One Democracy Voucher Program that has gained some prominence is the Democracy Voucher Program first implemented in Seattle in 2017. The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) administers Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program. As a nonpartisan and independent commission, the SEEC also administers and enforces various codes for the City of Seattle. See Attached and Democracy Voucher Program - DemocracyVoucher | seattle.gov <https://www.seattle.gov/democracyvoucher>)
City of Oakland
In 2022, Oakland voters approved ballot Measure W, the Oakland Fair Elections Act, also known as the “Democracy Dollars” program. The program provides four $25 vouchers to every eligible voter for use in city and school board elections. The program was scheduled to launch in 2026, however, due to city budget constraints, the program was not funded for the 2026 election cycle. Oakland’s Public Ethics Commission is preparing for program launch in time for the 2028 election.
California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) State Contribution Limits and Voluntary Expenditure Ceilings - Small Contributor Committee
For the Subcommittee’s information, a Small Contributor Committee is any committee that meets all of the following: 1) has been in existence for at least six months; 2) receives contributions from 100 or more persons; 3) no one person has contributed more than $200 per calendar year; and 4) the committee makes contributions to five or more candidates.
Next Steps
The Subcommittee may choose to recommend to the City Council to have staff conduct further research and stakeholder engagement on the potential implementation of a Democracy Voucher Program, including legal feasibility, administrative requirements, community interest, and cost, and return to Council at some point in the future with a detailed proposal and implementation plan. Staff anticipates that it would require a dedicated amount of time to work on this effort, in order to perform a thorough analysis.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
There is no fiscal impact to discuss this item or any recommendation by the Subcommittee. Depending on the nature of the Subcommittee’s recommendations and subsequent action by the City Council, there may be associated costs.
The fiscal impact of a Democracy Voucher Program depends on its scale, administrative model, and level of resident participation. Funding costs could include staffing costs, outreach and education, technology systems, and administration of the voucher funding pool. Upon direction by the City Council, funding sources could include the General Fund, a dedicated campaign finance fund, or a voter-approved levy.
Attachment
2025-10-08__ATT__City of Seattle Municipal Code-Democracy Vouchers