Local elections are the “first mile” of a healthy and representative democracy.

Context

The state of representation in Washington

Everyone living in our democracy deserves to see themselves represented by it no matter what we look like or where we come from. Yet too many of our neighbors do not see their identities or needs represented by our government. This gap is evident in Washington state, where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities make up more than 36% of Washington’s population, yet only 19% of all our elected leaders are from these communities. BIPOC communities are underrepresented at every level of government in our state, from school boards to the legislature.

Problem

What we aim to address

Our elections and institutions were long ago designed to elevate and keep white men in power, and few changes have been made to these systems in modern times to allow for diverse leadership. Running for office costs money, with higher levels of office, geography, and other factors increasing the amount needed to be competitive. Because of the legacy of racism in our country, race and wealth are strongly correlated. This means that white candidates are more likely to have better access to wealth and resources than candidates of color, making it easier to run a successful campaign and win.

The correlation between race and wealth also means that the interests and needs of communities of color and all low-income communities are highly aligned. All of us benefit when the leaders whose communities are most impacted by public health, economic, and community safety responses are developing policies, budgets, and approaches to these problems. Our democracy is strongest when we have a diversity of experiences and perspectives working to solve our biggest challenges.

Today, leaders of color encounter barriers in pursuing elected office almost everywhere they run. Among the numerous challenges designed to prevent candidates of color from winning is the myth of “viability” in which first-time candidates are written off by political elites in part due to lower fundraising. When access to wealth is a main determining factor of who can be elected to public office, that is a problem for leaders of color and a problem for our democracy.

Solution

What we can do

This is why First Mile was founded – to identify bold, adept candidates of color who are the natural leaders in their communities, and break down the barrier of campaign funding so they can spend more time talking to voters and less time chasing down donations. First Mile is a donor circle that supports progressive candidates of color in down ballot races across Washington state who are bold, transformational, and accountable to the communities they represent. Donations are given directly from donors to candidate campaigns, with First Mile’s community partner recommendations serving as a BIPOC-led, community-informed process for determining which candidates to support, which reinforces the ties between candidates and their communities.

Impact

How First Mile is making a difference

In the five years since First Mile launched in 2019, our cross-class, multi-racial donor circle has moved nearly $1.6 million in total to 138 progressive candidates of color across 30 of Washington state’s 39 counties, helping 72 community leaders win and step into public office. These wins have contributed to increased representation at all levels of office, from city and county councils to port commissioners, judicial races, state legislature, and more.

We are interrupting notions of “viability” by placing our trust in candidates of color, most of whom are running for political office for the first time. For most candidates, the support they receive from First Mile Circle members is game-changing, enabling them to hire otherwise unaffordable campaign staff, run outreach programs, and focus on engaging their community rather than fundraising. Many have told us that the contributions brought them the boost of confidence they needed to carry on in the face of intimidating opposition.

We are helping to elect a more representative government who can pass impactful policies, engage more diverse communities in voting and elections, and encourage a more diverse, representative candidate pipeline for the future. When we elect leaders who are in strong relationships with their community, we get elected officials who don’t have to be educated, agitated, or convinced in order to champion the community’s issues. We get a representative, responsive democracy.

  • In smaller races with little or no independent expenditures, direct campaign contributions make up the lion’s share of campaign spending. By organizing direct donations, we can have a big impact on these races — both in the strategies that candidates are able to fund for their campaign outreach, and in which candidates are seen as viable competitors in the election. And by coming together as a circle, we can bring attention to local races statewide that would otherwise be very difficult for any single donor to discover and follow. Finally, coming together as a circle energizes us, builds community, and reinforces our shared values. We are building a high integrity process that brings resources to the authentic leaders of our communities.

  • Local office is a critical and often neglected element of the state’s political landscape, but it’s where we can launch a generation of leaders, engage local communities, and create grassroots support.

    • Local offices are the first point of connection to government for most people. These positions are responsible for resourcing and implementation of transit, public schools, parks, zoning, local taxes, housing, elections, and more. The real impact of their decisions is felt by our communities every day.

    • Local jurisdictions can serve as a testing ground for innovative policy and broader progressive strategies. The fight for a $15 minimum wage that first made it to a national stage in 2016 was first passed in 2014 in the city of SeaTac.

    • Local office is one way leaders gain credibility, exposure, and governing experience, creating a durable pathway to statewide office. Prominent leaders who started their political careers in local office include: US Senator Patty Murray (Shoreline School Board), WA Attorney General Bob Ferguson (King County Council), WA State Senators Marko Liias (Mukilteo City Council) and Claire Wilson (Federal Way School Board), WA State Representative Mia Su-Ling Gregerson (SeaTac City Council), and Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins (Tacoma Charter Review Commission).

    Bringing attention to often overlooked local offices helps to develop and support a pipeline of effective leaders who are rooted in the communities they represent.

  • Our democracy works best when all of us are represented in government, no matter what we look like or where we come from. Yet too many of our neighbors do not see their identities or needs represented by our government. The numbers across Washington tell the story — Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities are significantly underrepresented at all levels of public office. Lack of representation means there are limitations on the ideas and perspectives that are brought to the table. Our democracy is strongest when we have a diversity of experiences and perspectives working to solve our biggest challenges.

    We have seen with recent crises how critical representation is. The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare inequities that have always existed, as systemic barriers to wealth and healthcare resulted in disproportionate infection and mortality rates among Black and Brown communities. The tragic murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and subsequent national outcry for protecting Black lives, highlighted yet again the ways in which Black people are disproportionately targeted by police, and the legacy of slavery that continues to thrive in our nation’s policing practices. These are just two recent examples, but there are centuries worth of policies that have set the stage for the lived experiences and inequities facing BIPOC communities today.

    To address these problems, we must build a stronger pathway for BIPOC leaders to represent their communities in elected office. All of us benefit when the leaders whose communities are most impacted by public health, economic, and community safety responses are developing policies, budgets, and approaches to these problems. BIPOC candidates, particularly first-time candidates, consistently have a harder time raising campaign funds and getting elected than their white counterparts. If we ignore these elections, we risk ceding local offices to leaders who will fail to prioritize communities that are most impacted by our nation’s most intractable crisis: the systemic racism that has left massive gaps in the fabric of our democracy. We saw the need for a BIPOC-led program that directly addresses the lack of BIPOC representation in local elected office and brought together a cross-class, multi-racial community that shares these concerns and values.