There are 20 Island selectmen, the vast majority of them over 60. But with the deadline still a month away for filing nomination papers, three young candidates have already declared that they will be running for selectman in the three down-Island towns.

Juliet Mulinare, who is 33, will be challenging incumbent Margaret Serpa in Edgartown. Ryan Ruley, who is 40, will be running against incumbents Mike Santoro and Brian Packish in Oak Bluffs. And Melanie Englert, who is 43, has taken out (but not yet returned) papers in Tisbury to run against incumbent Melinda Loberg.

The three candidates reflect something of a youth movement in political activism on the Island. They join a county commissioner who is still in college, a plastic bottle ban movement that began in the West Tisbury elementary school, and increased involvement from students and parents at selectmen’s meetings Islandwide.

“I never really thought of it so much as an age thing,” Ms. Mulinare told the Gazette by phone this week. “It’s more of me feeling secure now. I have my home here. And absolutely love the town.”

For Mr. Ruley, age was a factor in his decision to run.

“I just think it’s time for a fresh face, a new perspective in town,” he said by phone. “I . . . could potentially represent a different group of people of young families. I feel that’s important.” He is an Edgartown police officer who grew up on the Island and attended the regional high school.

Ms. Englert currently works as the winter caretaker at the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Hostel. She grew up on Long Island and came to the Island to work in gardening about seven years ago. She has worked a variety of jobs, including at Mocha Motts on Main street Vineyard Haven.

“I always wanted to get involved with politics, and I like the town of Tisbury,” she said.

Ms. Mulinare said she decided to enter the race because her experience working as the town’s chief procurement officer gave her a newfound appreciation for municipal government. She grew up in Georgia but spent summers coming to the Vineyard. She worked as a bartender before taking a job as administrator for the Edgartown dredge committee, and later, as procurement officer.

“Mainly, what’s prompted me to run is experience in getting to know the inner workings of municipal government over the past five years working for the town,” she said. “We feel like government is far from us, but local government is really accessible, and that was really impactful for me.”

In what could be shaping up as an active town election year, they are not the only candidates seeking a selectman’s seat.

According to the Edgartown town clerk’s office, Joseph Monteiro has also filed papers to run for selectman.

In Tisbury, town clerk Hilary Conklin said former selectman Larry Gomez has also taken out papers to run for selectman, although he has not returned them yet.

Annual town elections are on April 16 in Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. The Tisbury town election is April 14.

The deadline to file nomination papers for elected office is late February in all three towns.