The far-left’s true intention for Initiative 122 in Seattle just got a whole lot clearer. I-122—the brainchild of an ultra-liberal organization called Honest Elections Seattle—proposes to lower campaign contribution limits in Seattle and create a voucher program that allows every Seattle voter to donate $100 – in taxpayer money – to city candidates.
The initiative allows Seattle candidates to opt into a system in which voters can give $100 to donate to candidates of their choosing. Another property tax hike would fund the $100 vouchers. Just to be clear, that means homeowners will fund vouchers for others to give to candidates of their choosing. The initiative is estimated to cost $30 million over a 10-year period.
I-122 supporters have hidden objective
Advocates, including the far-left Sightline Institute, claim that the vouchers would level the playing field for voters engaging in the political process. Never mind the fact that the Sightline Institute is being paid to promote the initiative, the hypocrisy of it all is that I-122 is being funded by a handful of rich outsiders.
But, leveling the playing field is not the only reason backers of I-122 are pushing the initiative. According to a new report, I-122 would extend the $100 vouchers to non-citizens legally residing in Seattle. The purpose is to engage Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR’s) in the electoral process, short of voting.
LPR’s are already legally allowed to contribute to campaigns. However, backers of I-122 admit that they hope the system would open the door to non-citizen voting in Seattle, as local politicians are encouraged to engage with “citizens and noncitizens alike.” The Seattle Times,
“This has advocates like Corona (who works for the Washington Dream Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for undocumented immigrants) advocating for local voting rights for noncitizens. Recently, the coalition sent out questionnaires to City Council candidates to raise awareness among local politicians and gauge potential support.
“They have some of that support in former Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.
“‘We’re not talking about setting foreign policy here,’ says McGinn, who believes noncitizens should have voting rights in Seattle elections and is eager to see the issue spark conversation in time for upcoming City Council elections. ‘We’re talking about police protection and crime and parks and potholes and schools.’”
I-122 hope Seattle is just the start
As Shift previously pointed out, rich outsiders funding I-122 are using the initiative as a test. Seattle is the entry point to try and push a statewide initiative, all with a national agenda in mind. Ironically, that’s the very definition of rich people buying elections… with a long-term outlook twist.
The true intention of I-122 is not only to push Seattle further to the left, but also to see if the strategy is viable on a larger scale. The first clue into initiative’s hidden agenda is that it contains a loophole for labor unions. Apparently, large special interest groups are free to bundle the vouchers from members and direct the large contribution to their preferred candidate. Essentially, I-122 advocates are peddling a snake-oil form of “democracy” meant to further empower the far left.
