Washington officials, researcher and county elections chief outline steps to boost youth turnout

A Washington State University forum on youth voting heard officials and researchers describe why younger people turn out at lower rates and what Washington is doing to change that.

Erin Hayes, deputy director of the Democracy Policy Initiative at the Goldman School of Public Policy, said registration shortfalls are a core driver of low youth turnout and reported that “so overall, only about 42% of 18 to 29 year olds turned out to vote” in 2024, down from roughly 50% in 2020. Hayes summarized three research frameworks—age, period and cohort effects—to explain differences in youth turnout and pointed to schooling, mobility and unequal access by race, education and geography as key drivers.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, who opened the event, urged interns and students to stay engaged and to consider running for office if they want different options on the ballot. “If the candidates on the menu aren’t what you want, sounds like you need to run for office,” Hobbs said.

Steve Valletta, civic engagement program manager in the Washington Secretary of State's office, described the office's three-part outreach approach: fund and partner with community organizations, recruit and pay civic interns who act as peer influencers, and link organizations to broader statewide efforts. Valletta described a public-awareness campaign called Mark the Ballot intended to build trust and counter misinformation and said the office is placing that messaging across social platforms and local partnerships.

Valletta argued that the work is often local and peer-driven: “These folks in these organizations, generally, the youth, they're just as engaged as you are. They generally know 95% of the solution. We're just helping them connect the last 5% of those dots.”

Kendall Hobson, chief of staff for King County Elections, described classroom and campus tactics: contracting with social-studies teachers to deliver in-class registration, bringing civic interns into schools to lead exercises and signature-matching simulations, and operating vote centers on college campuses. Hobson said those efforts are concentrated in South King County where registration and turnout are lower; he gave program counts: “in the first phase, our interns with support from my staff visited more than 85 classrooms, and ended up talking to about 1,700 high school seniors.”

Panelists identified specific state policies that appear to help. Hayes cited Washington's Future Voter Program, Motor Voter registration at the DMV, broad use of mail ballots, and a change allowing some 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they turn 18 by the general election. Valletta and Hobson said grants to community groups and paid civic-intern programs direct resources to youth-engagement activities, and courts and county election offices are working on language access and voter-information UX improvements.

Students asked how outreach adapts to algorithm-driven platforms such as TikTok and Instagram and how officials can boost turnout in off-year and local races. Panelists said content and campaigns matter: outreach must meet young people where they are, use peer messengers and hyper-local partners, and invest in long-term relationships rather than one-off registration tables.

The forum closed with a reminder that candidates also shape turnout: panelists said more younger candidates and policy conversations that address cost-of-living, student debt and social mobility could raise youth interest and participation. Richard Elmer of the Thomas S. Foley Institute thanked the panel and attendees at the session's end.

The panel did not propose binding policy changes; instead, officials described ongoing programs and research and invited student feedback and future collaboration.