Xinhua News Agency special report: An 18-year-old high school student in Iowa, United States, successfully won the election for mayor of a local town and will serve a four-year term. According to U.S. media reports on the 10th, this middle school student is Jeremy Miniard, who currently attends Hampton-Dumont High School in Alledele Town. This northern Iowa town has a permanent population of 73 people, with 32 participating in the most recent mayoral election. The election results published by a civilian organization showed that although Miniard's name was not printed on the ballot, 24 voters wrote him in as a supplementary candidate and voted for him. The current mayor, 76-year-old Virgil Homer, received 8 votes. In an interview with local media, Miniard said he ran for office because he felt that the needs of local residents were not being addressed. "Many people were surprised about this," Miniard told reporters from the *Des Moines Register*, "because I'm not the most outspoken person at school." Miniard is set to graduate from high school next year. He plans to attend a community college near his hometown to study landscaping design. When talking about his future goals, Miniard said he intends to improve agricultural water conservancy conditions and beautify the environment of his hometown. Miniard's friend Duff Bowman said he believes Miniard will be an "incredibly outstanding mayor." Miniard's family is considered a "political family" locally. His father once served as the local mayor, and his brother-in-law was recently elected mayor of a nearby town.