REGION – Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas announced today that her office will be continuing the Kid Governor national civic education initiative in Vermont this year after a successful inaugural year in 2025. Kid Governor is a free program that teaches fifth grade students about state government, voting, and the importance of civic engagement through an authentic election for their state’s kid governor. The program will run during the 2026-2027 school year. Teachers can sign up their classes at www.vt.kidgovernor.org/register.
Roslyn Fortin, of Highgate Elementary, won the inaugural Kid Governor election in 2025. She ran on a platform addressing homelessness, and has organized food drives, fundraising events, and awareness campaigns during her term in office. The six other finalists in the 2025 election served as a cabinet alongside Fortin, working together to support her platform and advance each other’s as well, focusing on issues including youth mental health, bullying prevention, healthy school lunches, and healthcare access. They were Karin Ashley, Barnet School; Phoebe Bingham, Red Fox Community School; Westyn Danforth, Bradford Elementary; Rumano Hassan, Champlain Elementary; Gaelen McNaughton, Weathersfield School; and Lincoln Ratta, Lincoln Community School.
The program, founded by the Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC) in 2015, has spread nationwide and garnered broad support from educators and elected officials. Vermont joins Nebraska, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma this year in bringing this unique civic learning experience to fifth graders from across the state.
“We were thrilled by the success of this program in its first year and so impressed by the young leaders that stepped up to make a difference in their communities,” said Copeland Hanzas. “Increasing civic engagement, particularly among young Vermonters, has been one of my top priorities since taking office. The Kid Governor program is a fantastic way for fifth graders to learn about voting, government, and how to work together to fix problems that are too big to solve alone.”
“The Kid Governor program reminds us that when educators are given the opportunity to bring their lessons beyond the classroom and into the heart of their community, everyone benefits,” said Highgate Elementary Principal Justina Jennett. “We extend our appreciation to the office of the Vermont secretary of state for providing this outstanding opportunity for civic engagement. We are equally inspired by the Vermont teachers who embraced this program last year and brought it to their students in such meaningful and impactful ways. Fifth graders across Vermont are shining a light on the issues we know we must confront together, and we can’t wait to see what their leadership brings.”
This fall, individual fifth grade classes can register with the Vermont secretary of state’s office to participate in Kid Governor. Each participating school can nominate one student for the election to determine Vermont’s 2027 Kid Governor. Each student who runs for the office must identify an important community issue and develop a three-point platform with ways that fifth graders can address that issue. School nominees will create campaign videos outlining their platforms and persuading fellow fifth-grade voters to elect them as kid governor.
Seven final candidates will advance to a statewide election coinciding with Election Day in November. All fifth graders from participating schools will watch and analyze the candidates’ campaign videos in class before voting for the student to represent them as the voice of Vermont’s fifth graders. The student with the most votes will become Kid Governor, and the six finalists will serve as the kid governor’s cabinet. The team of student leaders will serve a one-year term, during which they will have the opportunity to work with the Vermont Secretary of State’s office to advance their platforms and inspire their constituents to make a difference in their local communities. The Vermont secretary of state’s office will continue to host the Kid Governor program each year, giving many Vermont children access to this exciting opportunity.
Learn more about Vermont’s Kid Governor program at www.vt.kidgovernor.org.