The filing period to run for public office in Washington State is coming up in a couple of weeks.  So who cares?  Not many in Yakima County according to what the voter turnout numbers have shown.

Yakima Voter Turnout Always Low

Yakima's voter participation is weak...one of the lowest in the state.  The last 4 even-year elections show Yakima County's turnout averaging about 8% less than the state average.

So here's a fair question - What's the future of the country going to be like when the young people of today expected to be running it tomorrow aren't interested in the political process?

Harvard Study Paints A Poor Participation Portrait

According to U.S. News & World Report, A Harvard University Insitute of Politics poll reveals young Americans are losing faith in politics and the ability to be engaged in politics and elections to make their lives or futures better.

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https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-04-25/youth-losing-faith-in-politics-poll

Additionally, those who expressed the futility point of view -- "I don’t believe my vote will make a real difference” -- were at 42 percent, up from 31 percent in 2018.    56% of young people also say  --"politics today are no longer able to meet the challenges our country is facing,"-- and that's up 11% from 2018.

The Left Is More At Risk From Survey Results

Researchers say there are signs that youth turnout could drop off, further imperiling vulnerable Democrats who tend to attract bigger shares of the youth vote.  The poll shows 49% of young people believe the nation is on the wrong track, with just 13% seeing the country as headed in the right direction -- so how do you fix that if you don't believe in the existing political system?

Della Volpe, author of the book "Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America.:

President Joe Biden has a 41% approval rating among young voters – a drop of 18 percentage point from a year ago. Biden is holding a smaller portion of his voters – young people who showed up for him in 2020 – than either Barack Obama or Donald Trump did at this stage in their presidencies...Further, while those 18-29 still prefer Democratic control of Congress (40% want Democratic control, 28% want GOP control and 32% are unsure), the survey found.Republicans are more motivated this year to go to the polls.

Who Plans To Vote

Compared to the 2018 survey, young Democrats are less inclined to vote this fall by 5 percentage points, while young Republicans are more likely to show up at the polls, by 7 percentage points.

The Yakima Profile shows County residents are, on average, younger and more Hispanic - a group that traditionally votes Democrat.  Will Yakima County's young Democrat voters join others and sit out this fall's election too?  Stay tuned,
the candidate filing period for 2022 is May 16-20.

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