Alright, we'll call to order this 3 June 2026 meeting of Seattle Ethics and elections commission. In person here we have commissioner Evan Smith, myself, Jonathan Thermer online, we have commissioners.
We know, Vassel, Smith, I think and that's all we have online. Okay, we've got a pretty small agenda today, so we're trying to keep it quick and then we have a open public Meetings Act training at the end.
The commissioners, I think we'll let the staff go because they've had this opinion before but it's important for us commissioners to get it. So we'll turn to our 1st action item, which is the supplementary written opinion for case number two five.
11061. This pertains to the public meeting we had on 4 February 2026 where the commission unanimously voted to a firm the executive executive director of Dismissal of a complaint submitted by Paul Chapman. The commissioners did choose to put together a written decision.
And our council has circulated that to all the commissioners, so anyone ask if anyone has any questions or comments on the draft written opinion? I've seen a lot of shaking heads now. Alright, I think then, do we have a motion to approve?
Approve and publish the supplementary written opinion.
So moved.
Okay, is there a second?
Second.
Okay, all commissioners voting to approve and publish the written opinion, please raise your hand or say I All opposed saying name and any abstentions to the vote, right? Mr. Commissioner Evan Smith is obstaining. With that, the motion passes the draft written opinion will be finalized and published on the commission's website.
Likely in the next week. So that is our only action item. Moving on to discussion items, we have the democracy voucher program working group. I'll just give you a brief update. Yes, so we met again with the working group.
The steering committee for that, which is us council central staff as well as representative mayor's office. And we discussed the contract with uncommon Bridges, the consultant and we really start to put together questions and the list of people that we'd like them to interview.
I think we're done with that process, so now they're gonna go out and interview them. So I think they're aiming for a report as early as early August so Any questions from any of the commissioners?
Alright, thanks for that update. Now the democracy document program report. Okay. So the court meeting date, it's up to the last meeting version, but the information is as current as a few business days ago. So we had about one less candidate sign up to.
Then we had had other sites before, so we have a total of four candidates running currently who will be on the ballot. They're all choosing to use the program. We just currently only have two qualified, we do have another one that's on the way and then this newer candidate, we're still getting to know.
The distribution of what we've invoiced to date as of this part just a few days ago is there and our batch accounts, we've got our campaign replacement forms coming in at about 16 % paper, which is the blue paper mail, 46 and online 38.
Line's still holding strong this is kind of nice. It seems to take up their cheer. So a few media and outreach events a couple have occurred and there's been some tablings and some presentations lately, and we are very soon in the next few days starting a the final list of candidates is known the last.
Data into the program has passed, so we know who they are. That will go out in the form of, the media buys and social media as well as a press release. We've been trying to manage our our communications around not confusing the entirety of the city of Seattle considering it's only in D five, but also just try not to miss any opportunities and we can easily take the calls come in, so that's about it for the questions?
Questions commissioners? Just for clarity, media outreach is where the DVP is just going to inform people about the DVP. Yep got the table organizations might ask us to come and give presentations and trainings.
There's also a lot of activity with our partners, so this is this is the season where it's gonna start really picking up and they've gone to postering communities, so they've been in late green lake, just kind of walking around and talking to business owners, put up a poster and I think like city.
Is the next business area for residential area that so they're just out of exploring. Excellent. I think that's a really important part of what we do. Are we, we've seen pretty good engagement in those events like the tabling? It's just a little light. Yeah, we don't have a lot of candidates up there. Yeah.
We'll see. Okay. I will say one kind of marker is that one of the candidates have already ranged the maximum battery distribution for this primary, so the funding has happened.
Okay. Is there in having not done this since 2017 and are you hearing any interesting new questions, new perspectives, you know, I would hate for us to say we've enacted this in 2017 and not learn with with people as they continue to interact with the program.
Not a lot of demand we hear from people who say, oh yeah, I have those who are sitting on my table and we hear from people who say they've never seen it before. That's kind of consistent, completely opposite. It is one of the questions we're gonna ask is keep hearing this.
I've never heard of this, what is this and ask some of these folks at the community through this consultant, what do you recommend? We're not sure if you ever have any ideas? Take ideas from the commissioners as well. I think they need to.
Interesting question which is the, what is the goal, right? Is the goal to spend all the funds? Is it a certain percentage? And I imagine this will come through with the consultant, but what is the I sort of I understand intellectually why Seattle went in this direction, but now that it's enacted, do we actually have outcome goals? Do we have outcome goals? We do. We do. Okay, and so what are the outcome goals? Really we try to encourage more candidates. He's a program director office. We like to see a.
Don't hold it is more representative of the actual people who live in the city that is coming true. Yeah, great. Got it. Good one. Everybody is elected to use the program, so I guess not a single elected official right now, we do use the programs. Yeah. Yeah I think that's the best outcome. Yeah. Other questions from the commissioners?
No, those are great questions though. I appreciate that.
Moving on to the executive directives report. All right, my only goal here today is to encourage you all to cancel the next meeting. July meeting conflicts with the, with the world Cup game, so are just encouraging you all to like stay out of the city, don't come down here for this meeting.
So that's my that's my director's report can't I go ahead and cancel the meeting on your behalf? Yeah I'll open it up to the commission. I have NO issue. I unfortunately will be downtown that day, but I will try to be watching the world cups game, but open it up to other commissioners I don't think we have anything going on the agenda. No, the pipeline is very light right now. If i recall, we've canceled a July meeting before. July or August, if not both tend to get canceled yeah so Seattle knows not a big summer town.
So I will.
To encourage this as well and hearing NO objections, yeah, I think that's that's.
Alright, well this maybe one of the shortest meetings we've ever had. Next up we have our open public meetings ad training by our council Gary Smith. I think we're gonna let staff go so that they don't have to sit through the training with us so we will end.
Be Webex, but commissioners please stay on for the training. Do you need promotion to adjourn or is this happening under? No, with that sorry we'll adjourn the meeting.
Do you need motions? No, NO. Yeah, thanks for the reminder.