14-Year-Old on Vermont Governor Ballot

STOWE, Vt. A 14-year-old high school freshman has secured a place on Vermont's general election ballot as a candidate for governor, marking the first time someone under 18 has appeared in that race.

Dean Roy, a student at Stowe High School, will run in November under the banner of the Freedom and Unity party, which he founded to gain ballot access. His candidacy stems from Vermont's state constitution, which imposes no minimum age requirement for gubernatorial hopefuls, only mandating four years of residency in the state. Roy, who has lived in Vermont his entire life, developed his interest in politics last year while serving as a legislative page at the Statehouse during eighth grade.

"I don't expect necessarily to win," Roy said. "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.'" In an Instagram post on his campaign page, he added, "I know it sounds crazy, a 14-year-old running for governor, but honestly, look at the people in charge right now. They've been doing this forever and things still aren't working."

Roy's bid echoes a prior attempt by another young Vermonter. In 2018, eighth-grader...