Girl Scout who pioneered child marriage bill elected to N.H. House
Cassie Levesque feels like she is part of a movement.
A movement where young people in New Hampshire – in particular women – are getting their voices heard in politics.
Levesque, known for her efforts to increase the marriage age in New Hampshire as part of a girl scout project, was elected to the state House of Representatives on Tuesday. She said the election, which saw the number of people under 40 in the legislature double, is the start of a new wave of young adult involvement in the state.
“A lot of what happens in politics has been all about men for years,” Levesque, 19, of Barrington, said Thursday. “Now, young women have started to step up. It’s really time for girls to start taking the lead on things.”
New Hampshire Public Radio reported that in the last legislative session, there were 23 state representatives under the age of 35. Now there will be at least 42 representatives under the age of 40, following Tuesday’s elections.
Levesque said she hadn’t originally planned on running this year – she has a busy schedule with online political science courses from Southern New Hampshire University and her position as a girl scout leader in Barrington. She is also still in the process of getting her driver’s license, and was worried about the commute to Concord, she said.
But after talking it over with a few legislators she met during her work in the State House – including Jackie Cilley, who sponsored her child marriage bill – Levesque decided she didn’t want to wait.
https://www.concordmonitor.com/Cassandra-Levesque-girl-scout-and-pioneer-of-marriage-bill-elected-to-NH-house-21418536
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