Connecticut Democracy Center Announces Candidates in the Race for Connecticut’s 2026 Kid Governor

PRESS RELEASE

Connecticut Democracy Center Announces Candidates in the Race for Connecticut’s 2026 Kid Governor

Hartford, CT – Seven fifth graders from across Connecticut have made it onto the final ballot for the upcoming election for Connecticut’s 2026 Kid Governor. Each candidate developed a campaign platform centered around an important issue facing our state and a three-point plan for how fifth graders can address that issue in their own communities. The candidates created campaign videos outlining their platforms and persuading fellow fifth graders to vote for them to be the 2026 Kid Governor.
The final candidates for the 2025-26 Statewide Election and their community issues are:

• Alyvia - Glastonbury-East Hartford Magnet School - Marine Pollution
• Dylan - CREC Academy of International Studies Elementary School, South Windsor - Racism
• Myra - Center Elementary School, Ellington - Social Inclusion
• Nana - Odyssey Community School, Manchester - Anxiety
• Samuel - Renzulli Academy, Hartford - Cyberbullying
• Tessa - Green Acres Elementary School, North Haven - Inclusion for Students with Disabilities

You can watch the candidates’ campaign videos by clicking here

“This year's candidates have such passion for their platform ideas,” said Linda Preston, the Connecticut’s Kid Governor® State Coordinator at the Connecticut Democracy Center. “When you watch their videos, you can tell how important their issues are and how much they want to make a difference for their community and the state of Connecticut!”

Kid Governor® is The Connecticut Democracy Center’s award-winning civic education program in residence at Connecticut’s Old State House. The program empowers fifth graders to change the world by using an authentic election to teach important lessons about state government, voting, and the power of civic participation. Participants develop skills in critical thinking, research, public speaking, and persuasion.

The seven candidates were chosen from among fifty-one nominees, each nominated by their school for the 2025 Statewide Election. From November 3-12, more than 10,000 fifth graders will watch the candidates’ campaign videos, consider their platforms, and cast a ballot for the student they support. The Connecticut Democracy Center will tabulate the votes and announce the elected 2026 Kid Governor during the week of November 17-21 in a live announcement at the winner’s school. The six runners up will serve as the Kid Governor’s Cabinet.

The 2026 Kid Governor and Cabinet will be sworn into office at Inauguration Day at Connecticut’s Old State House in January, kicking off their one-year term of leadership. They will work together to support the Kid Governor and to advance their own three-point platforms.

“The Kid Governor program gives young people an opportunity to get involved in civics at an early age—and it’s our goal to empower them to remain engaged in our democracy and within their communities for the rest of their lives,” said Brian Cofrancesco, Director of Kid Governor®. “Our program is realistic, fun, and underscores that even young people have the power to take up a cause and create change in our world.”

For more about Connecticut’s Kid Governor®, visit CT.KidGovernor.org or follow @CTKidGovernor on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.