Sightline Institute

Climate change and forest fuels buildup get most of the blame for wildfires. But there is a third and equally important factor: vulnerable houses being built in fire-prone areas of the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

Scientists now have the modeling technology to identify where fires are likely to occur. Overlayed with WUI data, maps can display a hazard score for individual properties.

Oregon’s wildfire hazard maps are open for public comment and will officially launch in October. Senior researcher Kate Anderson writes about why other states should follow suit.

Blazing a Trail: The Vital Role of Wildfire Hazard Maps - Sightline Institute Sophisticated and high-resolution maps such as Oregon’s are essential tools for thriving in a fiery future.

Join us for Brewery Night at Georgetown Brewing Co. in Seattle on August 22 🍻 Enjoy delicious craft brews, win exciting prizes, and have a blast with friends. 50% of the day's draft beer sales will be donated directly to Sightline's work. Cheers to good times and a greener future! 🌲🌍 RSVP today at sightline.org/georgetown

In November, Portlanders will use their upgraded ranked choice voting system for the first time. And it’s a first for the journalists who are covering the election, too.

We talked to journalists who’ve reported on RCV across the country along with our friends at Agora Journalism Center and North Star Civic Foundation to put together a guide of best practices and common pitfalls. During a training event for journalists in June, local reporters on the elections beat in Portland helped shape and refine the information.

The final guide is now live – and it covers key dates, best practices for reporting results, common pitfalls, voter-centric language, and other tips. Check it out!

Reporting on Ranked Choice Voting in Portland’s 2024 Elections - Sightline Institute Resources for journalists and editors.

Join our team! Sightline’s Climate + Energy program is looking for a researcher to support our efforts to build a clean, just energy future. The full-time Senior Research Associate will help advance priorities including electrifying homes and businesses, ramping up renewable energy, and phasing out oil and gas infrastructure.

We’re looking for someone who can conduct high-quality, accurate, and thorough research to support the team’s strategy – and who can synthesize that data into concise and clear fact sheets and issue briefs.

Salary is $60,000-$70,000, plus 10 percent retirement. Apply by September 3rd.

Senior Research Associate, Climate and Energy - Sightline Institute Senior Research Associate, Climate + Energy Position Announcement About Sightline Institute Sightline Institute is committed to making Cascadia—the region stretching from Alaska to northern California and from the Pacific to the Rocky Mountain states—a global model of sustainability, with strong...

Washington has passed nation-leading building decarbonization policies to slash carbon pollution from one of its highest-emitting sectors.

Two statewide ballot initiatives (2117 and 2066) would undo some of Washington’s efforts to reduce building emissions, including by evaporating more than $400 million in state funds for cleaner homes, schools, and businesses.

Meanwhile, other states are charging ahead with ever-more ambitious policies. Climate and Energy Director Emily Moore breaks down what the initiatives mean for Washington’s clean building policies and what Washington can learn from other states to maintain its leadership role.

(Disclosure: Sightline provides non-partisan, independent research and analysis. Sightline does not officially endorse or oppose any ballot initiatives and is not an agent of a ballot initiative campaign.)

Washington State Leads in Climate-Friendly Building Policies—For Now - Sightline Institute How two ballot initiatives would affect Washington’s clean building efforts and how the state can maintain its lead.

Proportional representation — a family of election methods that ensure the shares of seats in an elected body match parties’ popular support — is the gold standard when it comes to reforming hogtied American democracy. But its prospects are catastrophically slim.

A more attainable electoral change can set the United States on course towards proportional representation. That is: upgrading existing elections to ranked choice voting (now used in Maine and as will be on the ballot statewide in Oregon) or combining ranked choice voting with variants of unified, top-four, all-party primaries (as now used in Alaska).

Sightline’s Executive Director Alan Durning details how the long-term prospects of proportional representation are more realistic through ranked choice voting — still a moonshot, but not unthinkable.

Proportional representation in just three (brutally hard, agonizingly slow) steps! - Sightline Institute Is there a better way to get there in the United States?

'Majority Rules' Brings Election Reform to the Big Screen - Sightline Institute Majority Rules, a documentary film that chronicles Alaska's election upgrades to all-party open primaries and ranked choice voting.

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a simple strategy: allowing more homes where employment and transportation choices are abundant. It’s an essential formula for preventing sprawl, cutting pollution, and making communities affordable.

But TOD bills are often coupled with mandates for inclusionary zoning, the requirement that new apartment buildings offer a share of homes at reduced rents. The problem with unfunded IZ is that its cost impedes housing production — so it can often backfire and do more harm than good.

Senior Director of Sightline’s Housing and Cities program Dan Bertolet writes about why the unfunded inclusionary zoning proposals in Washington’s 2023 and 2024 TOD legislation would have hindered the state's progress on TOD.

Five Flaws That Would Destine WA’s TOD Bills to Backfire - Sightline Institute Five fatal flaws that would destine WA's TOD bills to backfire---politically and as affordability policy for cities across the state.

Grab the popcorn — open primaries and ranked choice voting are hitting the big screen. The new documentary 'Majority Rules' digs into how Alaska’s electoral reforms might be an antidote to America’s hurting democracy.

The film premieres in Washington state on July 24 in Tacoma, with screenings also planned in Bremerton and Walla Walla.

‘Majority Rules’ is written and directed by AJ Schnack (‘Caucus,’ ‘Convention’) and produced by Unite America's Nick Troiano. More on the film — and why the story of Alaska’s reforms is so remarkable — below.

'Majority Rules' Brings Election Reform to the Big Screen - Sightline Institute Majority Rules, a documentary film that chronicles Alaska's election upgrades to all-party open primaries and ranked choice voting.

"Elevators in North America have become over-engineered, bespoke, handcrafted and expensive pieces of equipment that are unaffordable in all the places where they are most needed."

Opinion | The American Elevator Explains Why Housing Costs Have Skyrocketed An illness led Stephen Smith to study why America has so few elevators. What he learned explains why housing costs are so high.

Fire-adapted communities aren’t springing up on their own. Homeowners do less home-hardening than benefit-cost analyses suggest they should.

Even with publicly funded fire-fighting, hardening a home still saves homeowners money (and heartache).

Uncontainable Wildfires Are Inevitable. Community Destruction Is Not. - Sightline Institute Five policy shifts could help communities harden their homes against fire danger.

Most U.S. elections use a “winner take all” system known as plurality voting. But it’s not the only system – and not the best.

Ranked choice voting is simple. It has been shown to have benefits in any type of election: it prevents spoiler candidates from changing election outcomes, punishes negative campaigning, and encourages more diverse candidates to run.

What *can* get weird is the variation in how ranked choice voting can be applied in a variety of contexts: sometimes for local offices, sometimes just in presidential primaries, sometimes only in a general election. Researcher Shannon Grimes walks through various scenarios in the Pacific Northwest and breaks down what’s happening, where.

Ranked Choice Voting Is Simple—Election Laws Are Not - Sightline Institute A field guide to ranked choice voting in primaries, general elections, and more.

Please join us in Seattle on June 26 (6pm) for an exclusive film screening of Fire & Flood: Q***r Resilience in the era of Climate Change!

Stick around after the film for an enriching discussion about strategies of resilience crucial for navigating today’s challenges. Special guest Amasai Jeke from United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance - WA will join Sightline’s Kate Anderson for a wide-ranging conversation on sustainable solutions, intersectionality in environmental spaces, and more. Space is limited, so RSVP today to secure your spot! https://www.sightline.org/filmscreening/

LGBTQIA+ people are on the frontlines of climate justice.

Join us on Wednesday, June 26 at Fjallraven's Downtown Seattle store for a screening of "Fire & Flood: Q***r Resilience in the Era of Climate Change." More info:

Join Sightline Institute for a film screening and conversation - Sightline Institute Join us for a film screening Please join us in Seattle on June 26 (6pm) for an exclusive film screening of of Fire & Flood: Q***r Resilience in the era of Climate Change! Sightline Institute believes that true sustainability exists at the intersection of environment health and social justice. We are...

Fire-hardening new construction is what will save us as fire weather intensifies every year.

Building a new home to wildfire code costs roughly the same as building a non-hardened home – but retrofitting an existing home costs more.

When do US cities hold their elections? Most hold theirs out of sync with national “on-cycle” elections.

The off-cycle schedules are relegated to a diversity of dates, locked in place by state or local laws.

We compiled the most comprehensive data yet of all 50 states and 420 major cities’ local elections, along with the legal pathways towards consolidation for each of them. You can look up your own state and city here: https://arcg.is/0beiuK. If your elections are not yet consolidated, we'll tell you why. And, below, read a summary of the data from Executive Director Alan Durning.

When Do Cities Hold Elections? - Sightline Institute A US Dataset on Election Consolidation

Seattle, join us on June 26 for a movie night at Fjallraven's downtown store! We're hosting a screening of "Fire & Flood: Q***r Resilience in the Era of Climate Change" in partnership with our friends at the Q***r Ecojustice Project.

This documentary explores the experiences of LGBTQIA+ communities on the frontlines of climate disasters & their innovative solutions for survival & rebuilding.

Learn, be inspired, & take action!

Space is limited, RSVP today (Free, but donations are appreciated): sightline.org/filmscreening

At some point, every day and in each stage of life, everyone is a non-driver.

In her new book, “When Driving Is Not An Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency,” Anna Zivarts sets out to break the car-first mindset. In this excerpt, Zivarts outlines the policy priorities that can create better communities for everyone.

Can We Go Beyond Car Primacy—To Policymaking that Serves People and Places First? - Sightline Institute Non-driver Anna Zivarts' case for steering away from car dependency

Oregon’s draft wildfire hazard map is on tour! The OR Department of Forestry is hosting an event series to gather public input and help communities understand how the map will help them to better prepare for future fires.

The next open house session is in Central Point on June 17, with subsequent stops in Grants Pass, Klamath Falls, and The Dalles. More details on the ODF website: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/fire/pages/wildfire-hazard.aspx

And, relatedly: Ponder five policy shifts that could help communities build fire resilience in this article by Senior Researcher Kate Anderson.

Uncontainable Wildfires Are Inevitable. Community Destruction Is Not. - Sightline Institute Five policy shifts could help communities harden their homes against fire danger.

"[An] ambitious reform model promoted by Sightline Institute comes from Seattle ... City officials mail four $25 democracy vouchers to all registered voters, who can then donate them to one candidate or divide them among campaigns."

Opinion | Democracy isn’t doomed Scale experiments across the country that are working.

In the past two decades, three states and more than 50 large US cities have consolidated their elections by moving local elections to the same ballot as national races.

It’s the single most powerful way to boost voter participation and increases turnout more than any other upgrade, often doubling participation in local races.

But most US cities and towns hold their elections out of sync with national ones. The off-cycle elections are relegated to a diversity of dates, locked in place by state or local laws.

We compiled a report of all 50 states and 420 major cities to identify a fine-grain map of how Americans can strengthen democracy through election consolidation.

When Do Cities Hold Elections? - Sightline Institute A US Dataset on Election Consolidation

Alaska’s 2022 primary elections grabbed voters’ attention. Across all races and parties, participation hit the highest rate in a decade.

The increase coincided with the debut of nonpartisan open primaries, where Alaska voters could pick one candidate from any political background in each race to advance to the general election. Every voter, regardless of party affiliation, got the same ballot. Independents, who make up close to two-thirds of Alaska’s electorate, no longer had to decide which ballot to vote. And voters were less likely to fill out the wrong ballot only to have it tossed.

It’s not apples to apples – but the system may have boosted turnout. Read more from Sightline’s Alaska Research Lead Jeannette Lee. https://www.sightline.org/2024/06/03/voter-participation-jumped-when-alaska-opened-its-primaries/

Join our team! We have two different researcher positions open right now.

Our Democracy + Elections team is looking for a researcher to educate stakeholders and decisionmakers on electoral upgrades. They will develop and deploy expertise to make the case for reforms, especially open nonpartisan primaries and ranked choice voting. In 2024, this position will focus on opportunities for electoral policy progress in Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon.

Secondly, our Housing + Cities team is looking for a researcher to drive data-backed solutions to pressing challenges: affordability, climate change, racial equity, and sprawl. This position will focus on strategic opportunities for state legislation in Washington but will also engage on efforts in Alaska, Montana, and local jurisdictions as needed.

More info at

Careers - Sightline Institute Sightline is Cascadia’s sustainability think tank. We aim to set the region’s long-term agenda by defining the region’s largest sustainability challenges and describing the most effective solutions for meeting them. We believe true sustainability exists at the intersection of environmental hea...

⏰ Last Day! Help Sightline reach our spring fund drive goal of $35,000. Your gift today creates a model for a sustainable future: strong communities, a green economy, and a healthy environment. Donate now: sightline.org/donate

In 31 elections over the past dozen years, candidates for statewide or federal office in Oregon have celebrated victory without winning majority support.

In other words, in almost one-sixth of Oregon races (16 percent), more voters selected non-winning candidates than cast ballots for the ultimate winner.

From researcher Shannon Grimes: Oregon could, like its cities of Portland and Corvallis, use ranked choice voting to ensure majority winners and avoid spoiler candidates.

Spoiler alert! Majority winners are no guarantee - Sightline Institute Oregon’s past statewide and federal elections are full of spoiler candidates and non-majority winners.

These are just a few reasons why your neighbors support Sightline Institute.

Thank you to everyone who has made a gift during our spring fund drive. We're able to do what we do because of the generosity of our community — folks just like you. Please consider a gift of any size before May 31 to help us reach our goal of $35,000! sightline.org/donate

There’s wildly high support for election consolidation — moving local elections to the same ballot as national races — on the right and the left.

But it’s no one’s priority, and it hasn’t exactly been bipartisan. Democrats and Republicans swap scripts on the self-same bills depending what state they are in. Why do Democrats support consolidation in California and New York but oppose it in Arizona, Montana, and Tennessee (while Republicans do the opposite)?

The reflexive answer is self-interest: that calendar reform moves forward if it helps Rs in R states and Ds in D states. That’s not the only explanation for the jumbled dynamics, though, or even the best.

Sightline Executive Director Alan Durning writes about how to turn the patchwork mess of red-blue politics towards a truly bipartisan effort for fewer, better elections.

The Bizarre Red-Blue Politics of Election Consolidation - Sightline Institute And the chance for stronger democracy it creates.

IN 3 DAYS! Join for a webinar on July 28 with a panel (including Sightline's own Anna Fahey) chatting about achieving and reforms

Link at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_A2qQf5fKQDKhO_rJCuDyJw #/registration