Why Seattle's elections often swing left as counting continues

Between the lines: Differences in voting habits between the city's younger and older voters are driving the trend, political consultant Sandeep Kaushik told Axios.

"One of the central political dividing lines in Seattle is on the basis of age," Kaushik said. "Older voters tend to be more moderate, while younger voters lean much harder left."

Those younger voters also tend to vote late and are much more likely to use drop boxes than they are to put their ballots in the mail, he said.

"Those votes come in late and get counted later in the process, and that's why you see a sharp break to the left," Kaushik said.




https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/11/08/why-seattle-mayor-results-often-shift-left-late-counts