<p>I was looking at the census statistics for State College, PA, and found that a whopping 70% of the town’s residents are between 18 - 24 (most of whom, I’m guessing, are Penn State students). With that population level, I was a bit surprised that not one town council member was a Penn State student. I go to Rutgers, where there’s been a push to get a student on the New Brunswick City Council for years (nearly successful a few years ago, even though we are only 20% of the city).</p>
<p>So, I was wondering, does it ever happen that a student tries to run for office? Hell, with that sort of population, even a state house seat wouldn’t be totally out of the question.</p>
<p>I believe that students have run for borough council in the past but I don’t think any has been successful in recent history. One major issue is that the term of office for the borough council is four years; add the election year onto that and it would be hard for a student to commit to being in the area for that length of time. Also, many students are registered to vote in their hometowns and vote absentee; a fair number of others are apethetic and don’t vote at all.</p>
<p>Last year a student was elected supervisor in one of the adjacent townships. He was a local kid who’d lived in the area for over ten years. It was an interesting story because after he won the primaries someone noticed that he was actually not old enough to serve–
[Penn</a> State student wins spot in Ferguson Township - The Daily Collegian Online](<a href=“http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2011/11/09/elliot_killian_on_election_day.aspx]Penn”>http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2011/11/09/elliot_killian_on_election_day.aspx)
They did sort it out and he is now on the board of supervisors (in his father’s old seat).</p>