15-year-old Dean Roy is running for governor in Vermont. The schoolboy put forward his candidacy from the Freedom and Unity Party, which he founded. Thanks to this, he did not participate in the local Republican and Democratic primaries and is heading directly to the November elections.
State law does not set an age limit.
As the New York Times (NYT) notes, Roy is not yet legally allowed to vote or drink alcohol, but there is no age limit for candidates for governor in Vermont. Therefore, a 15-year-old schoolchild can officially participate in elections.
Roy had the idea to get involved in politics in the eighth grade. After he interned for seven weeks in the state legislature, one of the teachers joked that he would become his campaign manager when the teenager decided to run for elected office.
Roy took the teacher's words seriously, studied the law and found out that Vermont has no age limit for gubernatorial candidates, according to his campaign website. Roy's former history teacher, James Carpenter, told the Associated Press (AP) that he was positive about his student's idea. Separately, he noted the teenager’s “endless curiosity.”
“It really shows what Dean is really like. He takes what he does very seriously. There is nothing far-fetched about this. I think he combines youthful optimism with pragmatism that few kids have,” Carpenter said.
Roy was born and raised in Stowe, Vermont. He enjoys skiing and running, and in the spring, he says, he “loves making maple syrup with my family.” In addition, the teenager is interested in Formula 1 and is a fan of Spanish driver Fernando Alonso.
Roy's parents initially viewed his quest to get on the ballot as a “helpful summer project,” the NYT writes. To register, he needed to collect 500 signatures from state voters. Teenager Chessie's mother took her son to the city post office, where he talked to local residents and explained why he decided to run for office.
According to Roy's parents, they themselves vote for Democrats, but they urge their son to “maintain moderation, listen to both sides and avoid provocative statements.”
There is no full election program on Roy’s website, but he regularly voices his proposals in videos on Instagram and TikTok. In particular, the teenager advocates for increasing the affordability of housing by simplifying the procedure for issuing building permits, as well as for the development of nuclear energy as a way to combat climate change. Roy supported Republican Vermont Governor Phil Scott for his commitment to developing nuclear power in the state.
In one video posted after Elon Musk became the world's first trillionaire, Roy said the Vermont entrepreneur's fortune should be capped at $1 billion. In another post, the teenager condemned Australia's ban on the use of social media by those under 16.
Roy himself says one of his campaign goals is to “make enough of an impact” to get political leaders to start listening to young people. According to the teenager, he wants to demonstrate the desire of his generation for change and force politicians to take his opinion into account.
“I want these career politicians to look at me and say, 'Oh my God, he really has a chance to change things.' If I can make people think that I am a threat to them, then I have succeeded. Because I want to show them that young people have a voice. We will achieve change. The future is now,” Roy said.
According to a University of New Hampshire poll, 3% of voters are ready to vote for Roy. Incumbent Governor Phil Scott remains the favorite in the race. He said he welcomes the teenager's interest in politics and public service, but doubts that at such a young age a person is ready to take on the responsibilities associated with the position of governor.
Roy isn't the first teenager to take advantage of Vermont's lack of voting age. In 2018, eighth-grader Ethan Sonneborn announced his candidacy for governor as a Democratic candidate. In the primaries, he took last place among four candidates, AP recalls.
Almost all other states have a minimum age to be elected governor, often 30 years old. For example, in Kansas, legislators set the minimum age at 25 in 2018 after six teenagers decided to run for office.
There are also examples of successful campaigns by underage candidates in Vermont. 17-year-old Aiden Otterman won the Democratic primary for the state House of Representatives in his rural district in northeastern Vermont in August, NYT notes.
There are also cases when very young candidates managed to win elections. Thus, 22-year-old Jayden Williams became the youngest mayor in the history of Stockbridge (Georgia). However, six months after taking office, he was temporarily suspended from his duties and deprived of a number of powers amid an investigation into the alleged misuse of funds, RTVI said.
