Overview
- Dean Roy, a 14-year-old Stowe High freshman, will be the first under-18 candidate on Vermont’s November governor ballot, according to reports published Friday.
- He secured a spot by creating the Freedom and Unity Party under rules that require four years of residency and no minimum age.
- Roy says he does not expect to win and frames the run as a way to start a youth movement in Vermont politics.
- He calls housing Vermont’s most urgent problem and says he would keep up with school through online classes and homework at night if he won.
- Gov. Phil Scott’s office praised his civic spirit yet questioned a teenager’s readiness, and a Vermont law professor pointed to an 18-and-up voter clause while doubting voter support.