Crosscut Now
Sept. 28, 2021 - Young candidates try to get peers to vote
9/28/2021 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
Young activist candidates try to spur peers to get out and vote.
Despite a slate of hard-left candidates, younger voters didn’t cast many ballots in August’s primary election. What might change that?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Crosscut Now is a local public television program presented by Cascade PBS
Crosscut Now
Sept. 28, 2021 - Young candidates try to get peers to vote
9/28/2021 | 1m 15sVideo has Closed Captions
Despite a slate of hard-left candidates, younger voters didn’t cast many ballots in August’s primary election. What might change that?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Young activist candidates are hard at work to get the vote out among their peers.
Only 24% of King County voters ages 18 to 24 voted in the August primary election.
That compares to an almost 65% turnout among voters 65 and older.
Young candidates say young people are often passionate about politics and social issues, but many aren't convinced that voting will change much.
Activist youth are finding other ways to be heard.
Over a quarter of 18- to 24-year-olds reported participating in protests in 2020, an 11-point jump from 2018.
A fresh wave of young people running for local office may change things.
Recent ballots included Varisha Khan, the first Muslim woman elected to the Redmond City Council, at age 24.
Mohamed Abdi, a 24-year-old Somali born in a Kenyan refugee camp, is running for Tukwila city council.
I'm Starla Sampaco.
Find nonprofit Northwest news every day on crosscut.com.
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Crosscut Now is a local public television program presented by Cascade PBS