In the United States, 14-year-old schoolboy Dean Roy officially launched his election campaign for the position of governor of Vermont. Such an unusual situation was made possible by the peculiarities of local legislation: the state constitution does not establish a minimum age limit for candidates.
The only mandatory requirement is to have lived in Vermont for the past four years, which the young candidate fully meets.
The teenager’s interest in big politics appeared only a year ago while working as a page in the state legislature. To participate in the election race, Dean Roy registered his own political force called “Freedom and Unity”. The guy is determined and is already planning his future schedule, which includes performing the duties of the governor during the day and distance learning with homework in the evening.
“I don’t count on a mandatory victory. But I want to start a movement and attract more young people who will say that they also want change,” the teenager noted.
The appearance of such a young competitor has caused a mixed reaction in political circles. The current governor of the state, Republican Phil Scott, praised the guy for his active civic position, but expressed doubts about his ability to lead the region. State officials believe that the lack of life experience can be a serious obstacle to performing complex state functions.
“A teenager may not be the best prepared for this role due to a lack of experience and life vision at this stage,” said the current governor’s press secretary, Amanda Wheeler.
Dean Roy’s former history teacher, James Carpenter, came to his defense, describing the student as an extremely inquisitive and sincere person. The teacher is convinced that the combination of youthful optimism and pragmatism makes the guy a unique candidate. Roy himself claims that his main goal is to prove to the old political elite the power of the youth voice.
“If I make people think that I pose a threat to them, then I will know that it is a success. Because I want to show them that young people have a voice,” the candidate emphasized.
Vermont is not the first to encounter such initiatives by minors, but most other US states have strict restrictions – usually candidates must be no younger than 30 years old. For example, in Kansas, the minimum threshold was recently raised to 25 years old, just after six teenagers ran for office at the same time. Despite the skepticism of opponents, Dean Roy’s name will appear on the ballot for the general election this November.
