Research Symposium

BIO

Current Geography student at Florida State University with an interest in the sociological aspects of the spaces we live in and our political processes. Keen interest in inequities that can be found in our geographical spaces and how we can work to solve them.

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: Politics Demographics