Date of Completion

Spring 5-1-2025

Thesis Advisor(s)

Dr. Jeffrey Ladewig, Dr. Matthew M. Singer

Honors Major

Political Science

Disciplines

American Politics | Civic and Community Engagement | Comparative Politics | Politics and Social Change | Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies

Abstract

This project explores youth members (thirty-five years old or younger) from the first Congress up until the present Congress by examining and analyzing the ideology, career trajectory, and accomplishments of these members. This project also analyzes the voting records of Congress members on topics that are highly salient to young voters to see how they align with young voters’ preferences and highlights multiple members of note to provide more detail on their backgrounds and unique circumstances. This study aims to demonstrate how young people have been represented historically and why it is so important for the U.S. to have youth accurately represented in its governmental institutions. This piece offers solid descriptive evidence of the way in which young representatives act, legislate, and serve their young constituents and how age affects representation.

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