Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Seattle, Washington, Proposition 1, Democracy Voucher Program Property Tax Renewal Measure (August 2025)
| Seattle Proposition 1 | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Election date |
|
| Topic Local elections and campaigns and Local property tax |
|
| Status |
|
| Type Referral |
|
Seattle Proposition 1 was on the ballot as a referral in Seattle on August 5, 2025. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported replacing an expiring levy with a new ten-year property tax levy starting in 2026—adding $1.50 per $100,000 of assessed value, for a total rate of up to $227 per $100,000—to fund and administer Seattle’s Democracy Voucher program, with the 2026 amount serving as the base through 2035. |
A "no" vote opposed replacing the expiring levy, thereby rejecting the proposed new ten-year property tax levy starting in 2026 to fund and administer Seattle’s Democracy Voucher program. |
A simple majority was required for the approval of Proposition 1.
Overview
What is the Democracy Voucher Program?
On November 3, 2015, voters approved Seattle Initiative 122, a ballot measure to create the Democracy Vouchers program. Under the program, eligible residents receive four $25 vouchers per election to contribute to participating municipal candidates who agree to spending and contribution limits. The person receiving the vouchers can distribute them between candidates, or give multiple vouchers to one candidate. The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission verifies vouchers before releasing funds and discloses the contributor’s name and chosen candidate(s) as public files.
How is the voucher program funded?
Initiative 122 authorized Seattle to levy a property tax to raise $3 million per year for up to 10 years to fund the Democracy Voucher program. That authority was set to expire in 2026 unless voters approved Proposition 1. Proposition 1 replaced the expiring levy with a new 10-year property tax starting in 2026. The new levy added $1.50 per $100,000 of assessed value, increasing the maximum levy rate to $227 per $100,000, and utilized the 2026 amount as the funding base through 2035. According to the city, Proposition 1 was projected to raise approximately $45 million over the 10-year period.
Election results
|
Seattle Proposition 1 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
114,140 | 59.12% | ||
| No | 78,940 | 40.88% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Proposition 1 was as follows:
| “ | The Mayor and Seattle City Council passed Ordinance 127204, concerning replacing funding for Seattle’s Democracy Voucher campaign public finance program. If approved, this proposition would replace an expiring levy to fund the City’s Democracy Voucher campaign public finance program, including the costs of administering the program. It authorizes a ten-year levy for collection beginning in 2026 of an additional $0.015/$1,000 assessed value, for a maximum total levy rate of $2.27/$1,000. The 2026 amount will be the base for subsequent levies through 2035. RCW 84.36.381’s senior citizens and disabled persons exemption applies. Should this levy be approved? | ” |
Full Text
The full text of this measure is available here.
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing body of Seattle.
How to cast a vote
- See also: Voting in Washington
See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Washington.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, “Frequently Asked Questions on Voting by Mail,” accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Washington Secretary of State, "Voter Eligibility," accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "Voter registration deadlines," accessed April 20, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Hill, "Wash. gov signs universal voter registration law," March 20, 2018
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Washington State Voter Registration Form," accessed November 2, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.40.160," accessed April 20, 2023
| ||||||||||
