Supreme Court right to uphold Seattle Democracy Vouchers

Proponents of small dollar donor-based campaign finance reforms breathed a sigh of relief Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would not take up Elster v. Seattle, a case challenging the constitutionality of Seattle’s innovative and successful democracy voucher system. The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case—without any noted dissent—means the public financing program is safe for the foreseeable future. It also gives a legal green light to other jurisdictions thinking of adopting a version of this important program.

The case arises from Seattle’s innovative mechanism for publicly...