Abstract
ABSTRACT This article analyses the demographics, party affiliation, political motivations, and personal experiences of young people in Australia who run for elected office. By analysing a survey conducted with 51 young political candidates who ran in the 2020 Victorian local government elections, we show that that the most under-represented groups include young women, young people with Indigenous heritage or from minority ethnic backgrounds, and young people who do not have tertiary education and/or who live outside the metropolitan region. Our study also demonstrates that while a majority of young candidates were political party members, only relatively few ran as a candidate of their party. Finally, we highlight the link between age (youth orientation) and effectiveness (political efficacy) among our respondents.
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