David Moore had this article in Sludge. Here is an excerpt:

In Seattle, the Aug. 3 primary election will feature the first race for mayor since the city launched a unique system of public campaign financing in 2017. 

All of the leading candidates for Seattle mayor opted in to the public financing program, including two new candidates who have relied heavily on the program’s “democracy vouchers” to raise money from grassroots donors. The two have already raised and received the maximum amount of $400,000 that they are allowed to spend during the primary, giving them more time to campaign instead of fundraising from typical donors.

Several veteran Seattle politicians in the race are also using democracy vouchers for a large share of their fundraising, as the city sees an uptick in voucher use in a crowded mayoral field.

Read the full article here.