Allen Under Attack For Not Ever Voting Stadium Foes Say He Thinks He’s Above Political Process

Billionaire Paul Allen, who is trying to win voter approval for a funding package to build a new football stadium here, has never voted in a public election, county records show.

The revelation about Allen’s voting record came with the release of new campaign financing reports on the football stadium complex for the Seattle Seahawks.

Opponents of the stadium say this is proof that Allen thinks he is above the political process by which he’s asking ordinary citizens to subsidize his $425 million football venture.

“Is it that billionaires needn’t be bothered to vote or does he really feel that those of us who vote are suckers and he’s not one of us?” said stadium opponent Chris Van Dyk. “Is he really a member of the community or is he just in it for the money?”

Van Dyk is a spokesman for Stop Stadium Madness, one of two Seattle groups opposed to stadium Referendum 48.

Lee Keller, spokeswoman for Our Team Works the pro-stadium campaign organization financed by Allen, acknowledged that Allen hadn’t cast a vote in 14 years. But, she said, the election is about the future of the Seahawks football team, not Allen’s voting record.

Besides, he has made multi-million civic contributions to schools, museums and theaters, according to his advisers.

“I think voting is a personal choice,” said Bob Gogerty, Allen’s political strategist. “I don’t feel any different about Paul Allen than I did before. I don’t understand, frankly - to me the man’s contribution to the community and the things he’s trying to do and this are far more important than anything else.”

He was a driving force behind two failed election campaigns to create the Seattle Commons, a massive urban park, and has contributed millions to the University of Washington library endowment and a Jimi Hendrix museum project.

County records show Allen, 44, first registered to vote in 1993, but that he’s never actually cast a ballot in an election. He changed his registration in January from Bellevue to Mercer Island.