"I don’t vote because it doesn’t matter"

The 2023 general election seems to have passed over District 3 like a warm breeze. Off the back of a campaign focused on public safety and endorsements from the local business community, business owner Joy Hollingsworth cleanly defeated transit activist Alex Hudson by a little over 2000 votes. To many Seattle residents, these results don’t matter. A recurring theme in the lead-up to election night was that the candidates seemed indistinguishable. They’re both progressive-leaning, support increased affordable housing, take a mental-health approach to drug addiction, and want to increase services to address homelessness.

To me, that’s a naive view—the areas where they diverge are small, but they are also highly consequential for the future of our city. Hudson has been a proven advocate for housing developments which lower housing costs for all. Hollingsworth, on the other hand, notoriously tried to block construction of an apartment building to preserve her views of downtown Bellevue. Her platform on housing affordability suggests she will continue to oppose new developments once she enters office. The loss of Hudson’s transit enthusiasm also hurts, especially given our recent struggles with light rail expansion. This election could’ve ushered in a golden age of lower rents and better trains. Instead, we’ll likely face continued delays in housing and transit construction.

I am deeply disappointed in the low youth turnout this year. It’s embarrassing that a generation that claims to care about high cost of living and climate change does nothing when given the chance. Among my 20+ friends in Seattle, I’m the only one who turned in a ballot. Across King County, only 17% of people aged 18-24 (less than half the county-wide average) did the same. There’s no excuse for this—in Seattle, your ballot is delivered to you and all you need to do is turn it in within 20 days. They even keep the ballot boxes open until 8pm on election night, which is one hour longer than I’m used to in Illinois.

Thanks to Gen Z’s disengagement, we have one less housing and transit-focused advocate in City Hall and one more pro-business centrist in her place. With the 10-year comprehensive plan and the next phases of transit expansion on the docket, this blunder will reverberate in this city for decades to come. Nevertheless, I will continue to fight for our community and hope for the best. I just wish everyone else would care about our city as much as I do.