In middle school, Dean Roy worked as an intern at the Vermont State House. Now the 10th-grader hopes to return to the state capital full-time.
Dean is running to become governor of Vermont. If elected this fall, the 15-year-old would be the youngest governor the state has ever had—and the youngest in U.S. history! (The current record holder was elected at age 23 in Michigan in 1835.)
As a state’s top executive, a governor approves or vetoes (rejects) bills, implements laws, and appoints judges. Vermont’s constitution does not have an age requirement for the position.
Dean got the idea to run after his internship at the State House in eighth grade. He sat in on meetings with lawmakers and passed information between them. “That’s what really inspired me,” he says.
First, Dean created a political party, the Freedom and Unity party. Its focus is to make housing more affordable. Next, he needed to collect 500 signatures to get on the ballot.
Since then, Dean has been campaigning—when he’s not doing homework, that is. He shares his message mostly through social media. The teen hopes his campaign motivates more kids to get involved in politics. “You do have a voice . . . and you have a place to make a lot of change,” he says.
—Lisa M. Herrington