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Alan Durning

Alan Durning, executive director, founded Northwest Environment Watch in 1993, which became Sightline Institute in 2006. Alan’s current topics of focus include housing affordability and democracy reform.

He has also written about parkingMaking Sustainability Legalcar-free livingbike-friendlinesselectric bikes, and climate fairness. Alan has written or contributed to nine Sightline books, including Unlocking Home: Three Keys to Affordable CommunitiesCascadia Scorecard 2007Tax ShiftStuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things, and the award-winning This Place on Earth: Home and Practice of Permanence. Prior to founding Sightline, Alan was a senior researcher at Worldwatch Institute. There, he studied the human dimensions of sustainability and wrote the award-winning book How Much Is Enough?, as well as chapters in seven State of the World reports and articles in hundreds of other publications.

A sought-after speaker
, he has lectured at the White House, major universities, and conferences on five continents. In addition to his passion for sustainability, Alan is a music fiend and a lover of outdoor pursuits, especially mountaineering and cycling.

Alan Durning

Alan Durning

Election Reform Measures Lost; Election Reform Didn’t

What to learn—and what to leave behind—from the 2024 ballot measure losses in Cascadia.
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The Curious Case of Voters’ Pamphlets

A secret, nonpartisan chance to better inform voters.
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Proportional representation in just three (brutally hard, agonizingly slow) steps!

Is there a better way to get there in the United States?
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When Do Cities Hold Elections?

A US dataset on election consolidation.
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The Bizarre Red-Blue Politics of Election Consolidation

And the chance for stronger democracy it creates.
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The Election Calendar Is Cheating Idaho and Montana Voters

But neighboring Wyoming offers a solution.
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In Every Washington City, Odd-Year Elections Crush Voter Turnout

And state law keeps it that way.
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Idaho, Montana, and Washington Could Save $30 Million by Moving Local Elections to National Election Day

A preliminary estimate of potential cost savings from municipal election consolidation.
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Hey, Olympia! If You Let Them, Cities Could Double Turnout in Local Elections

The case for freeing Washington cities to run elections on Election Day.
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Voters Want Fewer Elections: Here’s How to Do That

California, Arizona, and Nevada have shifted to even-year elections, boosting turnout and saving money—with lessons for other states.
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Washington Should Move All Elections to Even Years

And psst, King County voters: you can vote this fall to supercharge this shift.
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In Seattle, Courts Might Reject Approval Voting . . .

. . . but not Ranked Choice Voting.
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