Mary-Pat Hector, right, with the National Action Network, speaks during a community town hall forum at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the church where The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached, Monday, Dec. 8, 2014, in Atlanta. David Goldman AP
Mary-Pat Hector, 19-year old, student of Spelman College in Atlanta, is running for a seat in the council of the new city of Stonecrest and would become America’s youngest elected official if she wins the race.
When one of Hector’s opponents challenged her eligibility to vote based on the assumption that voting age is 21 and above, the Dekalb County Board of Registrations and Elections declared that she is eligible to contest as there is no age restriction.
“Justice was served, and the law prevailed,” Hector said in a statement Thursday (Feb. 9). “The board’s decision is a testament to the inclusion of the next generation’s participation in the democratic process.”
Mary-Pat Hector at a community town hall forum in Atlanta in December 2014.
Hector’s fight for her right to contest at the age of 19 has inspired other young Americans to run for political offices.
The newly incorporated city of Stonecrest, which is east of Atlanta, will be holding its first election on March 21.
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