In his Nov. 29 column titled “What’s the matter with Kent?”, Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat studied the south King County city in a quest to better understand the recent election’s disappointing voter turnout.

Westneat wrote about how Kent, a city of 139,000, hit only 24% voter turnout, the lowest of any city in King County. Other south King County cities also saw low turnout, yet Seattle reached 46% turnout.

Westneat posited that a collapse of local news in the south end of King County plays a large role, pointing out how Kent is served by a single dedicated reporter at the Kent Reporter, and the hyperlocal ILoveKent news site.

He cited research of municipalities in California which found that more races went unchallenged in places where newspapers cut more staff, and argued that South King County cities need more news coverage to revive voter turnout.

We agree with Westneat on a few key points, but we also believe Vashon can prove instructive.

Of course, we believe in the power of local news to inform and bolster interest in public affairs.

And yes, it’s a shame that so many vibrant, complex and news-making cities in South King County have merely one, two or three journalists dedicated to covering them. Steve Hunter, the sole dedicated reporter at the Kent Reporter, is a force. (And we’re not just saying that because he’s a colleague at another Sound Publishing paper.) Just imagine if we could clone him two or three times.

But many ingredients contribute to voter turnout, and you can look to Vashon to understand many of them. Our voter turnout, at 52% in November’s election, has been among the strongest in King County for many years, and our newspaper also has a tiny newsroom staff — though it is bolstered by an astounding number of community contributors.

First, it’s common knowledge that older people are more likely to vote, and a quarter of Vashon alone is made up of people 65 years and older, according to census.gov. That amount is just 11% for Kent.

College-educated people were also more likely to vote in recent elections, according to the Pew Research Center. About 52% of Vashon residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher; just 28% in Kent.

Higher family income is also correlated with voting, Pew found. Vashon households have a median income about $15,000 higher than those in Kent, according to the census.

White Americans, finally, are more a consistent voting group than other races, according to Pew. 90% of Vashon residents are white — 43% are in Kent.

Our takeaway is that Vashon reflects many of the attributes and privileges that are correlated with high voter turnout. Compared to our neighbors, we are older and whiter. We make more money and are more college educated. We also likely have far more retirees.

These factors compound to create a population that has the time and resources to research and vote in elections.

Vashon loves to vote, and we love Vashon for it. And more news would certainly help Kent, Federal Way and Auburn boost their voting numbers.

But those communities also deserve the kind of investments that have helped so many of us who found our way to Vashon find success, such as access to higher education and job training, sustainable wages and healthy places in which to live and grow old.

Invest in these things, and we think you’ll one day see voter turnout to be proud of all over the county — not just our island.