17-Year-Old Girl Running For Mayor Of Minnesota Town

[OrigamiTulip]

17-Year-Old Girl Running For Mayor Of Minnesota Town

POSTED: 8:13 am EDT October 4, 2004

ST. MARY'S POINT, Minn. -- Erin Feehan-Nelson, running for mayor of this St. Croix River town, has a campaign slogan that's hard to dispute: "Uncorrupted by years of experience."

The reason? She's 17.

The high school senior wants to be the youngest person ever elected mayor in Minnesota. Feehan-Nelson decided to run as a write-in candidate after learning that only one other candidate had filed for the office.

"The voters need to have a choice," she said. "That's what I'm doing, I'm giving the voters a choice."

Even so, state law says candidates must be eligible voters and at least 21 years old when they take office.

Kevin Corbid, director of elections for Washington County, said officials will count the write-in votes Nov. 2 and forward the results to the St. Mary's Point City Council, which serves as the city's canvassing board.

"The canvassing board will need to determine eligibility," Corbid said. "If someone is not eligible to hold office, the person with the next highest number of votes would be certified."

Feehan-Nelson said that if she receives the highest number of votes but is not certified, she is prepared to take the matter to court.

"I doubt the judge would be able to say no to the popular vote," she said. "The people's right to choose prevails over (state law)."