Tagged: elections

A campaign is mounting to switch up how Seattle City Council members are elected. Currently, members can live in any part of the city and their job is to represent the whole of Seattle. A campaign called Seattle Districts Now aims to divide the city into seven smaller districts with a council seat based in each one. Voters in each district would then elect a council member to represent their specific neighborhoods and interests.

The Seattle City Council is thinking about developing a publicly-funded approach to campaign finance. The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission would develop a detailed plan and voters would decide whether to approve it later this year. The idea to use public money to fund city campaigns is meant to open up the political arena to candidates who might not otherwise run for office. On Thursday, city councilmembers will meet with representatives from Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles to see how publicly funded campaigns have played out in their cities.

Last week Seattle voters approved funding for rebuilding Seattle's waterfront seawall. But some waterfront businesses say the construction schedule will hurt the tourist trade. Ross talks to Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the transportation committee.

With just over a week to go, news outlets are inundated with polling results gaging voter sentiment in the presidential election — up to 20 state and national polls are coming out every day, often with different results. Which ones can you trust? How are they conducted? Washington Post polling director Jon Cohen helps us separate the signal from the noise.

Former state Senator Kathleen Drew wants to become the first Democrat in nearly 50 years to hold the office of Washington's Secretary of State. She faces Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman in November. Both candidates join us in the studio.