Kansas Child Politics

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.3 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 19 July 2018

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There’s an unlikely election campaign underway in the American state of Kansas where several teenagers have joined the race to be Governor. Kansas is the only place in the US with no lower age limit on running for the state’s top job and the youngsters say they want to energise other young people and boost youth involvement in politics. They come from Republican, Democratic and Independent backgrounds but their views, in a very conservative state, range far and wide across the ideological spectrum. On taxes, spending, environmental laws and even gun control, the teenagers often break with party orthodoxy and look for compromise. All this at a time when school children are leading the grass-roots movement against guns, taking on their political elders for the first time in decades. For Assignment, Claire Bolderson travels to Kansas to meet the aspiring politicians, too young to vote even for themselves, to assess the shifting sands of youth politics.

Producer: Michael Gallagher

(Image: 17 year old Tyler Ruzich believes he can become Governor of Kansas. Credit: BBC)

Transcript

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0:00.0	My name is Tyler Rousick. I'm 17 years old and I'm a Republican running for the
0:07.9	governor of the state of Kansas. You're 17 years old you can't even vote yet.
0:12.4	Why are you running for governor I might be 17 years old but why not let's win this thing
0:17.7	Welcome to assignment on the BBC world service in America's Heartland, the state of Kansas, where something
0:25.3	rather unusual is happening. Teenagers have joined the race for the highest
0:30.3	office in the state. They're running for governor.
0:33.4	Don't be sort of deterred by my age that means I'm not well versed on any issues, whatever.
0:39.4	This is what it's all about. It's hearing from all of you the issues that are important to you.
0:44.0	High school student Tyler Ruzick in Neat Cream Chinos and a freshly ironed blue checked
0:49.7	shirt is out on the campaign trail. Today he's come to a retirement home to sell his
0:56.2	policies to an audience in their 80s and 90s and one who's a hundred years old.
1:02.7	You're probably for you?
1:04.7	Yeah, all right.
1:06.3	Yeah, so yeah.
1:09.5	So what I'm, so such what I'm saying is if there's a problem.
1:12.6	I mean this nation was built on the ambition of young people.
1:17.8	At my age back in the 1700s I could have, you know,
1:21.0	been the commander of a ship. and I think this year and this era is where the
1:25.8	youth are starting to rise up.
1:28.3	Can I just ask you, you've all got Ruzik for Governor buttons on badges.
1:33.0	Are you Tyler's fans?
1:34.4	Yes.
	...

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