Jayapal Statement on Amazon Pouring Over $1 Million Into Seattle City Council Races

[SEATTLE, WA] – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) issued the following statement on Amazon contributing more than $1.45 million into Seattle City Council races:

“I am extremely disturbed by the unprecedented amount of money that Amazon has dumped into Seattle City Council elections: not just a thumb, but a fistful of cash, on the scales of democracy. There’s a reason that the very first bill we passed after Democrats took back the House was the For The People Act — after all, if we’re serious about getting guns out of our streets and fighting for a health care system that puts patients about profits, it means getting money out of politics. And if we truly mean that ‘nobody is above the law,’ it means no one — and no corporation — gets to manipulate our elections. At a time when too many Americans already think the system is rigged for the wealthy and well-connected, we must protect our democracy and our democratic values, which are worth more than any corporation’s bottom line. Our city and our elections belong to our citizens, not corporations. I’m proud that we took steps to address this imbalance with our Democracy Vouchers program, which gives regular people in Seattle a voice in our elections. However, this most recent influx of money into city elections makes it clear that some people are afraid of letting real democracy work for the people.”

Jayapal is an original co-sponsor of the For the People Act, a comprehensive reform package to end the culture of corruption and reduce the role of money in our politics. She successfully championed a number of amendments to the bill, including one that would create a Democracy Voucher pilot program based on the one used by the City of Seattle to allow individuals to use vouchers to make small-dollar contributions to political candidates.

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