Sightline Institute

Help us move housing policy forward in Anchorage, Alaska!

Alaska Housing + Cities Contributor Alaska Housing + Cities Contributor

Vote by mail has a proven track record, and it’s popular: 84% of votes in Northwest states were cast by mail or drop box in the last federal election in 2024.

Postal delays, an impending SCOTUS case, and threats from D.C. are posing challenges to states’ elections—but what potential changes will have the most widespread impact in Cascadia?

How Threats to Voting by Mail Could Affect Cascadia How Threats to Voting by Mail Could Affect Cascadia

Incumbent politicians in Montana can effectively hand-pick their successors if they drop out of a primary last-minute and swap in their preferred replacement, as Sen. Steve Daines did in March. A simple change to filing rules would prevent such backroom dealing.

How to Close Montana Primary Elections’ ‘Drop-and-Swap’ Loophole How to Close Montana Primary Elections’ ‘Drop-and-Swap’ Loophole

Washington’s top-two elections have a mathematical glitch: An anomaly that lets someone win office without majority support.

Fortunately, there’s a fix. It is simple, and Seattle already enacted it by passing ranked choice voting. The Legislature can follow suit.

In praise of a different primary: The ranked top-two | Op-Ed Upgrading top-two keeps all the good things about Washington’s system, which is a huge advance over the party primaries that polarize most other states.

Gas prices spotted by Sightliners in the past few days. 👀 It's as good a time as any to free ourselves from the roller coaster of polluting fossil fuels.

Our housing team is hiring another part time contributor—this one in British Columbia! Help us advance our housing policy work in the province:

British Columbia Housing + Cities Contributor British Columbia Housing + Cities Contributor

“We love our wide open spaces,” said Sen. Ben Toews, a Republican who led the bipartisan legislation. “Having smaller communities actually allows more wide open spaces, because suburban sprawl is a real issue. You’re seeing our farmlands get eaten up by houses.”

Why wide-open Idaho is mandating houses on the smallest lots in America A new law in Idaho will force cities to allow homes on 1,500-square-foot lots, with the goal of bringing down home prices and preserving agricultural lands.

We're hiring! Our Housing and Cities team is looking for a part-time contributor who knows Alaska's political and policy landscape.

Alaska Housing + Cities Contributor Alaska Housing + Cities Contributor

Buildings with scissor stairs—freshly legalized in Washington state—allow light-filled, ventilated homes with efficient layouts. And smaller-footprint buildings can fit on smaller lots, making more homes possible.

Washington Passes First Statewide Scissor Stair Reform Washington Passes First Statewide Scissor Stair Reform

California’s electoral glitch has a solution: Ranked top-two primaries.

Letters to the Editor: Seattle has already found the way to mend California’s top-two primary system 'In Seattle, we call it “ranked top two,” and because it’s only needed in races with giant fields, it’s surprisingly easy to implement. California’s Legislature could adopt it this year, and election officials could launch it in 2028,' writes an L.A. Times reader.