Was 2025 the year of the youth vote in Seattle and beyond?

This article was written and reported by a student in the Journalism & Public Interest Communication Program at the University of Washington in Seattle as part of the UW News Lab, which allows advanced students to work with professional news outlets in the Seattle area.

Among a slew of noteworthy firsts, the 2025 election nationwide and in Seattle featured a turn to youth — young voters backing youthful candidates.

Cities nationwide are showing a similar pattern: young candidates and voters are becoming the new norm even in off-year elections. New Jersey, Virginia and New York City saw the strongest youth voter turnout in years, while New York City elected its youngest mayor in almost two centuries, Zohran Mamdani. Exit polls recorded 78% of voters under the age of 30 cast their ballots for Mamdani.

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) estimates 34% of youth voted in Virginia and 29% in New Jersey. Across the board, voters under 30 were the only age group to increase turnout in recent off-year voting cycles.

In the Seattle mayoral race, the age gap between candidates was 24 years. In city attorney and city council races, winners were generally in their mid-30s compared to their 50-something opponents.

RELATED: Seattle-area election results: Gap between Harrell and Wilson narrows in race for mayor

In terms of voter demographics, longtime Seattle political consultant Cathy Allen doesn't have exact numbers, but from visiting multiple polling sites on Election Day, she thinks the youth movement took hold in the Emerald City as well, perhaps because they saw people closer to their own age on the ballot.

“It was one of the first times that we saw the majority of candidates were women and people of color and a lot of young people thrown in as well,” Allen said. “From that perspective, it was quite interesting to me that right in my own backyard of King County, you know, that there were 10% more young people, women, as well as people of color.”

Initial returns showed only a modest increase in youth voter turnout. Statewide, 18- to 24-year-olds still account for the smallest part of the voting pie, at just over 4%.

RELATED: Trump says election puts shutdown pressure on Republicans but wants to end filibuster

Statewide efforts are in place to drive those numbers higher in the coming years. The FutureVoters program registers 16- and 17-year-olds to vote as soon as they become eligible. Teenagers who register for a driver’s license can simultaneously sign up to vote, and voting drives and registrations are held at high schools and colleges across the state.

Organizations like the League of Women Voters of Seattle have been working to continue engaging students and young voters, not just through registering them, but also emphasizing the importance of local elections.

“But it's a challenge," said League President Barbara Tengtio. “It's then turning those registered voters into voters who are showing up and voting. That is the present challenge, and it's awareness, it's trying to get them informed about local elections and why they're important.”

Preliminary numbers from 2025 back up Tengtio’s concerns. In votes counted so far, only about 15% of eligible voters age 18 to 24 returned their ballots in Washington state. Compare that to the most consistent voting group, senior citizens — around 60% of eligible voters 65 or older returned their ballots.

Tengito said one thing she hears over and over again from younger people is that individual votes don’t matter. To combat this, the League of Women Voters of Seattle offers student-led candidate forums and civics workshops that cater to younger generations.

“If young adults start voting at an early age, it becomes a habit, and they become lifelong voters,” Tengtio said.

RELATED: Mamdani's youth support goes beyond New York. For many, he's now a national leader

Mark Smith, a professor of political science and adjunct professor of communication and comparative religion at the University of Washington, also noticed that a lack of confidence keeps first-time voters from turning in their ballots, especially during off-year elections.

“Sometimes people feel like, you know, ‘I don't know the candidates, I don't know the issues.’ Well, you know enough,” Smith said.

Allen, who visited 11 different ballot boxes in Seattle on Election Day, noticed a lot of young voters lined up to turn in their ballots. She believes the larger challenge may be on the candidates’ side.

“What I can say is that there is a reluctance now on the part of both Democrats and Republicans and independents, particularly on not wanting to run at all,” Allen said. “Running for office has not been the great big huge prize it used to be… It's not an honor. It's a burden.”

Allen said the next step for King County is recruiting more young people to lead, which may cause more young voters to care.

“I think what it is is a lack of interest, they look at it and they say, ‘Well, I don't know any of these people. Why should I vote for them?’” she said. “I want them to be excited that they would be asked to exhibit some leadership on the local level, and we need to spend some time cultivating that.”

Editor's Note: The lead paragraph of this story was changed on Friday, Nov. 7 at 9:58 p.m. to remove a suggestion that turnout in the 2025 election was historically low.