Research Symposium

BIO

Sofia Garcia, born and raised in Miami, Florida, is from a multinational family of Cuban, Panamanian, and Hungarian descent. Her experiences growing up in Miami, a city dominated by the tourism industry and filled with vibrant international culture, contribute to her decision to pursue a Bachelor of Science in International Affairs and a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Additionally, since her junior year of high school, Sofia has been researching youth political participation, specifically in regards to a younger generation of voters and political figures. Following the start of her postsecondary education, Sofia is grateful to continue her research through the support of the Center of Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement at Florida State University. Following graduation, she plans to go on to attend law school and possibly achieve a MS in hospitality management.

Exploring Challenges Youth Face Seeking Political Office

Abstract

Throughout America's history, gender and race discrimination has contributed significantly towards the demographic of American politicians. However, age also serves as a large contributor to who voters choose to be in office. Age requirements — set in place by the U.S. legislature — prevent individuals under a certain age from running for election into office. For example, individuals cannot run to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives until age 25, which can create a natural bias for voters to choose older candidates. Furthermore, this project focuses on exploring the barriers that youth face when trying to run for office. In order to lay the groundwork for identifying these barriers, a literature review was conducted, analyzing previous research on the topic. This allowed for the creation of a system to identify potential obstacles youth face when pursuing office. Through gathering various statistics on the youngest members of the U.S. Congress, patterns in data helped to explain their lack of representation within the House of Representatives. These patterns include: gender, experience, and fundraising. Through these discoveries, this research extrapolates valuable metrics of existing members in Congress to help inform hardships faced by youth leaders seeking political office.

Keywords: Youth, Political, Participation