Seven candidates are vying for one empty seat on the Davenport School Board. For two board hopefuls, campaigning could be tough, because they'll be in class.
For 18-year-old Andrew DeNoyer and 20-year-old Illeaser Parker-Tatum, they're jumping into the race for very similar reasons.
"We thought about it and it was like how cool would that be if a student ran to give that kind of perspective," DeNoyer said.
"Attending the board meetings was just very interesting and I wanted to be involved with the school and the students and the community," Parker-Tatum said.
Along with keeping up with their grades, they want to keep up with the district's budget and the fight for funding equality.
"I'm not nervous at all. I'm actually very excited and I can't wait to see what the outcome is and what's going to be ahead of me. I think this is a great opportunity and also a challenge," Parker-Tatum said.
It's a challenge that DeNoyer says a student can handle as well as anyone else.
"I'm not intimidated. I'm more nervous to see how they react to an 18-year-old," DeNoyer said.
They know that running offers a unique story and something for people to talk about, but they don't want that to be the only headline.
"I really do think that I can speak for students that struggle and even succeed in different ways, and also their families and the community," Parker-Tatum said.
"They can look at me and say 'Look what he did,' looking at the opportunities this school will give me, and I think that would be the biggest thing to come from me winning is that encouragement for others to chase after their dreams," DeNoyer said.
Both DeNoyer and Parker-Tatum say that even though graduation is coming up, they plan to stay in Davenport.
There's one more candidate forum Monday, February 8th, 2016 at United Neighbors in Davenport, starting at 6:00 p.m.
The special election will be on February 16th, 2016. If you're an eligible voter and need to know where you can cast a ballot, visit the Davenport Community School District website.