Understanding the Phenomena Behind Democracy Vouchers

Going into the 2020 election I was interested in learning more about Democracy Vouchers in Seattle.

To get a better understanding of the phenomena behind these vouchers I did a research project as part of my master’s program where I analyzed the phenomena behind Democracy Vouchers and offered recommendations on how to improve the program for residents and candidates.

The research involved conducting a group interview with voters from around the city and organizing a storyboarding exercise during the session to capture their experience with the vouchers in a visual format. I also spoke with a few candidates running for city council and shadowed one canvassing in South Seattle.

The research was guided by the phenomenology methodology to better understand the lived experience of Seattle voters and city council candidates. The process included topic discovery, literature review, establishing ethical research practices, developing and conducting interviews, and organizing and analyzing data to facilitate the development of textural and structural meanings and essences.

Following the competition of the research I presented the findings to fellow researchers at the University of Washington and was asked to share our findings with the Seattle Times in an interview which informed a future news story.