Votes are still being counted in the special election for I-135, which would provide social housing through the formation of a public housing developer in Seattle, but campaign organizers feel confident with current totals showing a 14-point lead. In response to Feb. 17 totals showing 57% of voters supporting the initiative, organizers wrote in a statement that "this vote, and the margin by which it is winning, shows that Seattle is ready for something bold and new." Suresh Chanmugam is a software engineer working in the downtown core, speaking on behalf not of his employer but of Tech 4 Housing, a group that worked alongside a coalition of organizations to pass I-135. "They sent a very clear message, especially when you consider that the majority of people who vote in February elections are people who actually own a home," Chanmugam said. "The cost of housing has increased so dramatically that pretty much anyone who's not a software engineer, who's not a highly compensated tech worker, like me, is struggling to afford to live in Seattle." READ THE FULL STORY HERE: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattles-social-housing-initiative/281-bd8af39d-b8db-4b73-b16d-4051cf80063f