U.S.A.: Gay teen becomes Utah’s youngest elected official

Jackson Lewis still adjusting to his recent election to the Canyons School Board District 1, has become Utah’s youngest elected official’.

“It’s surreal,” he shared with ‘FOX 13 News’ during an interview on Monday.

Just a year ago, Lewis graduated from Hillcrest High School. Now, at 19, the self-proclaimed “political nerd” and, according to his X/Twitter account “gay and annoying”, will be serving on the nonpartisan school board that oversees his former school and others in the southern part of the Salt Lake Valley. He is likely the youngest elected officeholder in Utah.

“I thought, you know, this is a perfect way to get involved. Not just in the political world, but education is just so dramatically important,” he remarked.

Lewis decided to run as a student after hearing conversations about education funding and support for educators in his classes. He believes that student voices are often overlooked in discussions surrounding education policy. While he received some backing from his local Democratic party, he also encountered challenges while canvassing in the district he aimed to represent.

“People at first were like, 'Oh, you’re running for office. You’re really young,’” he remembered. “And then we got to talking.”

His campaign focused on issues such as tackling chronic absenteeism, increasing teacher salaries, advocating for later start times for classes, promoting applied learning, and providing free breakfasts and lunches to ensure no student goes hungry.

“Especially when it comes to chronic absenteeism, we need to make sure students want to be in school and feel respected by the people that were there,” he emphasised.

However, the excitement of campaigning is now giving way to the responsibilities of governance. Lewis is ready for lengthy nights at school board meetings when he officially joins the board in January. He understands that achieving his policy goals will require time and collaboration with fellow board members, and may also involve lobbying the Utah State Legislature.

“I know it’s not just going to happen with a single board meeting, right? Obviously, that’s not how this works,” Lewis noted. “The reason I keep bringing that up is because people look at me and they see I'm young. I've been called 'naive' quite a few times throughout this campaign. I want to reassure people who elected me I know how difficult this job is.”

With nearly 57% of the vote, Lewis’ election — alongside his youth — has the potential to bring change to the Canyons School District. He can provide a unique perspective on how the school board's policies affect students.

“I think it really reflects the student voice in Canyons School District,” said Dr. Rick Robins, the superintendent of the district, during the FOX 13 News interview. “Where he was just a graduate a year ago, I'm excited to hear his insights on the district and how we can improve.”

Lewis has also been approached by other young individuals within the Canyons School District and across Utah, who are inspired by his election and considering getting involved in politics. His advice? Engage with your community. He talked about the importance of meeting voters who may not fully agree with his platform but finding shared values through conversation.

“I learned so much more than if I just sat online making posts about the election,” he stated. “Those conversations, those perspectives, getting into actual communities and learning the lived experiences of those folks, it’s going to make me a better politician, it’s going to make me a better board member. Because you know what? You can’t make good decisions unless every single voice in this community — unless they’re not being heard, the decision that’s going to be made is going to suck. And it’s going to suck for all of these people living in these homes if they're not being listened to.”