A 14-year-old secondary school student, Dean Roy, (Stowe High School), is in the ballot, running for the governorship of Vermont in the United States of America.
This unusual candidacy is possible because Vermont’s constitution imposes no minimum age for gubernatorial candidates, requiring only four years of state residency.
Last year, he served as a legislative page at the Vermont Statehouse. But now Roy will become the first gubernatorial candidate under the age of 18 to appear on the state’s general election ballot this November.
Roy acknowledges the long odds but views his campaign as a catalyst for change. “I don’t expect necessarily to win,” he stated. “What I do expect is to start the movement, and get more young people to come in behind me and say, ‘Yeah, we also want to make change.’”
His path to the ballot was forged by creating his own political entity, the Freedom and Unity party.
This contrasts with nearly all other states, which typically set age requirements, often at 30 years old. In Kansas, for instance, lawmakers introduced a 25-year-old minimum in 2018 after a wave of teenage candidates.
Roy is undeterred by his youth, challenging the status quo. “I know it sounds crazy, a 14-year-old running for governor, but honestly, look at the people in charge right now,” he posted on his campaign’s Instagram page.
“They’ve been doing this forever and things still aren’t working.”
However, Peter Teachout, a professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School, offers a different interpretation of the state’s constitution, pointing to a clause that defines voter eligibility at 18 years old.
Teachout remains skeptical of Roy’s chances. “In theory, a 4-year-old could run for governor. Should we be worried about it? No,” he remarked.
“Vermonters can be a little cantankerous and provocative just for the fun of it, but it is not something they are likely to support in this context.” Independent
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