The number of young people nominated to become candidates in upcoming municipal elections in Moscow has hit a record high, news outlet RBC reported Friday.

Of the 8,330 candidates reportedly seeking nomination, 3,073, or 37 percent, are under the age of 35, RBC said citing data published on the Central Elections Commission website.

That compares to 25 percent of nominees under 35 in 2008 and 32 percent in 2012.

The number of nominees over the age of 58 has meanwhile fallen to 17 percent of the total compared to nearly one-quarter in the elections of 2012.

Political scientist Nikolai Mironov told RBC the shift was due to a general increase in political activity among the younger generation and that municipal elections were easier to participate in than national polls.

“Aside from local politics, there is nowhere for them to go in Moscow,” he said. They would need big money and administrative resources, and the political lifts for them are closed. They are using the only opportunity open to them.”

Young people have become increasingly visible in Russian political life, particularly following the rise of social media-savvy opposition activist Alexei Navalny. Tens of thousands of people protested against Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on March 26 and June 12 after Navalny published a video investigation accusing him of amassing huge wealth.