Kirkland, Washington, USA: Shilpa Prem has made history by becoming the first South Asian woman elected to the Kirkland City Council. Her victory was confirmed after King County Elections released the final tally, showing her ahead with 12,405 votes—51.21% of the total.
Prem won the Position 3 seat in a closely watched race against Catie Malik, who received 11,756 votes, or 48.53%. In all, 24,226 voters participated in the contest.
Emerge Washington, an organisation that trains Democratic women candidates, highlighted that the final outcome demonstrated how decisive late-arriving ballots can be in competitive local elections. The group praised Prem as a strategic and principled leader whose background in engineering and law will benefit the community.
Indian American Impact also celebrated her win, noting her commitment to supporting families, small businesses, and inclusive local leadership.
A resident of the South Rose Hill area of Kirkland, Prem serves as senior corporate counsel at Amazon, where she advises on healthcare technologies driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning. Her professional experience also spans major law firms, pharmaceutical companies, and the medical device sector. She has been active in public service through organisations such as Washington CeaseFire, the South Asian Bar Association, and by representing vulnerable children in court.
Born in the Pacific Northwest to Indian immigrant parents, Prem earned degrees from Oregon State University, Suffolk University Law School, and Harvard University. She has lived in Kirkland with her husband and twins for the past three years and has been involved with several community groups, including Emerge Washington.
On her campaign platform, Prem emphasised the need for thoughtful decision-making that includes diverse viewpoints and careful consideration of every issue. She highlighted collaboration and active listening as essential to her vision for governing Kirkland.
