Kid Governor shows our future voters that their voices matter now

This commentary is by Sarah Copeland Hanzas, Vermont’s secretary of state. 

Think of a problem that’s too big for you to solve alone. One that requires bringing people together and participating in collective action to propose solutions. This is really the crux of civics and democracy. It’s the question I pose to Vermont’s students whenever I visit classrooms, and some of those students are answering it on a public stage right now — fifth graders, to be exact.

Vermont’s Kid Governor program is in its second year. Founded in 2015 by the Connecticut Democracy Center, the program has spread nationwide, offering fifth grade teachers a free toolkit for teaching about state government, voting and the power of civic participation. This education is not just theory but also practical. Students identify an issue they’d like to address and then run in primary elections within their schools. They develop a three-point campaign platform to earn their classmates’ votes. This develops their critical thinking, research and public speaking skills. Seven finalists are chosen from the top candidates at participating schools. Those finalists then create short campaign videos that explain and advocate for their platform. Classrooms across the state view those videos, and then all the fifth graders vote. It’s an authentic election, tallied by my office, with tangible and relatable stakes.

The other six finalists don’t miss out; they form the Kid Governor’s cabinet. All seven students work together to advance their platforms, with help from my office and organizations throughout Vermont.

Last year we weren’t sure what to expect but were amazed when 65 schools and over 1,000 fifth graders participated. This year — right now — more than 2,000 fifth graders are voting to elect their Kid Governor and his or her cabinet.

What are these 10- to 11-year-olds running for? More recess? More candy in school lunches? Try again. Last year’s Kid Governor, Roslyn Fortin, of Highgate Elementary, won on a platform addressing homelessness. Her cabinet ran on issues including youth mental health, healthcare access, bullying and healthier school lunches. This year’s platforms are housing, mental health, bullying, drug abuse and addiction, and climate change. In other words, these kids are tackling the same issues as legislators six times their age.

There are many things I love about this program. I love students learning about civics and democracy. I love the enthusiasm and pride with which entire schools and communities band together to support their candidates. Even better, I love seeing a student in one corner of the state cheering for the election victory of a student who goes to school hours away, whom they’ve never met, but whose platform and candidacy resonated with them.

When I speak with Vermont students, I make a point of emphasizing that even if they aren’t a high school senior casting a ballot in our elections, student voices are crucial at both the state level and in their local communities. Communities rally around their youth, supporting their passions and learning from their concerns. A legislative truism is that our youth are the future, and that means when the future calls, emails, writes you a letter or travels to Montpelier to advocate, you’d better listen.

Vermont’s middle and high schoolers certainly aren’t too young to advocate for their concerns and make change. The Kid Governor program shows that our elementary students are ready to step up too, given the opportunity. By learning how government works, organizing together and experiencing voting firsthand, Vermont’s fifth graders are setting a foundation for lifelong civic engagement. We are at a moment when civics matters. It is not expected that we agree on what the issues are or how to solve them, but civics is about how to have those conversations. It’s the work of elected leaders like me, but it is also the work of every Vermonter, even if they are 10 years old.  

In 2025, my office helped administer a statewide Youth Civic Health Survey to find out how engaged young Vermonters are. One question asked: “When you turn 18, do you plan to register to vote?” Fewer than 60% said yes. The goal of Kid Governor is to inspire Vermont’s youth to be forever voters. Pam Letourneau-Fallon, a teacher at St. Johnsbury School who helped us bring the Kid Governor program to Vermont, said it best: “This is not a pretend election. The stakes are high. Their platforms will become a reality. … I can’t see any of these students not voting in elections moving forward. They’re invested.”

The week of Nov. 16, we’ll announce this year’s Kid Governor and their cabinet. In January, they will be sworn in at an inauguration ceremony at the Statehouse, and then they get to work, advancing their platforms to make the changes they want to see in their communities and our state. I hope you’ll join me in helping them do so. And let them inspire you to take action — big or small — on the problems you are concerned about.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Kid Governor shows our future voters that their voices matter now.