The Book-It Board of Directors and the entire staff urge you to consider voting YES on Prop 1 to give all residents, especially under-served communities, much greater access to our outstanding local arts, science, and heritage education programs.
Your ballot for King County’s August 2017 primary should have arrived in your mailbox.
You’re probably aware the past decade, state funding for arts and cultural organizations has been cut in half, creating an increasing gap between people who can access these experiences and those who can’t.
King County Prop 1, or Access for All, will boost funding for more than 350 community-based arts, science, and heritage organizations throughout the county to provide learning experiences, like Book-It’s Arts & Education programs that currently reach more than 50,000 young people every year. Think how many more children in every school district in King county, particularly those serving high percentages of kids eligible for free-or-reduced price meals, will benefit from the connection we make between words on a page to ideas and action.
It will also allow regional organizations, like the Pacific Science Center, the Seattle Symphony, and the Seattle Aquarium, to provide students with transportation and free tickets, and offer free admission and membership to families and seniors with lower incomes.
Funded by a 0.1 percent increase in the county sales tax for non-essential goods—or 1 cent for every $10 spent—Prop 1 will generate an estimated $67 million each year over the next seven years to give everyone the opportunity to participate in the arts. For more information or any questions, please visit accessforallwa.org.
Thank you for keeping an eye out for your ballot and considering a YES vote on Prop 1 to give Access for All! And remember that ballots must be in the mail or dropped in a ballot box by Tuesday, August 1, 2017.