Tech workers are very civically enaged

Tech workers in progressive cities such as Seattle and San Francisco have a bad rap when it comes to civic engagement.

As a Seattle Google engineer with political ambitions once said, “The little f*****s don’t vote, to put it bluntly. They are not civically engaged. They take civic responsibility lightly, and because of that they are used as scapegoats.”

But that was four years ago — and a lot has changed.

Tech is still seen by some as the villain in Seattle’s growth story but it’s becoming more difficult to charge the workers who comprise the industry as apathetic. This month, tech workers from Amazon and Google organized walkouts to pressure their employers on environmental issues in solidarity with the youth Climate Strike. Tech companies and volunteer groups are taking an active role in the upcoming Seattle City Council elections.

Now a new survey shows tech workers are more civically engaged than stereotypes suggest.

Sea.citi, a worker volunteer group surveyed 1,618 tech workers via invitations to their employers and industry organizations. Some 82 percent said they’re registered to vote and 52 percent of those registered say they vote in every election. About 14 percent said they are not registered or are in the U.S. on a work visa.