Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus

The Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus (VAYD Teen Caucus) is the teen branch of the Democratic Party of Virginia [1] and the Virginia chapter of the High School Democrats of America.[2] The VAYD Teen Caucus is an affiliate of the Virginia Young Democrats, an affiliate of the Young Democrats of America. The Caucus claims to be "one of only two teen Democratic organizations in the nation that is officially recognized by a State Party.[3]"

Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus
ChairmanMatthew Savage
Vice-ChairmanAdrian Klaits
Political DirectorBailey Logan
Membership DirectorSaehee Perez
Communications DirectorMaddy Witaconis
Programs DirectorMehreen Syed
Founded1932 as "Virginia Teen Democratic Clubs"
Preceded byVirginia Teen Democratic Clubs
Membership400
State partyDemocratic Party of Virginia
National affiliationHigh School Democrats of America

The VAYD Teen Caucus' counterpart is the Virginia Teenaged Republicans, who have worked together on several civic engagement initiatives.[4]

History

The VAYD Teen Caucus was founded in 1932[5] as the "Virginia Teen Democratic Clubs.[6]" The Virginia Teen Democratic Clubs had representation to the Democratic Party of Virginia Central Committee, even before the Virginia College Democrats had access to the Central Committee.

The VAYD Teen Caucus claims the title of the oldest state chapter of the High School Democrats of America. The Teen Caucus worked with Virginia DNC Member amend the national charter of the Democratic Party to give the national Chair and Vice Chair seats on the Democratic National Committee. The amendment passed in August 2019.

Beginning in 2015 under the leadership of Graham Weinschenk, the VAYD Teen Caucus began an annual high school leadership academy to train high school Democrats on how to become leaders in the Party.[7] The academy is also intended to allow high school students a college-like experience.[8]

Initiatives

The VAYD Teen Caucus has taken on a number of legislative initiatives, mostly bipartisan.

The VAYD Teen Caucus had the idea to the amend Virginia attendance law to allow secondary school students to take a day off for civic engagement.[9] The group worked with legislators to get the bill introduced in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly, where it was numbered HB1940 and SB1439, introduced by Del. Sam Rasoul and Sen. Jennifer McClellan, respectively. Caucus Chairman Matthew Savage made successfully proposed the bill to be endorsed by several Democratic organizations, including the Democratic Party of Virginia central committee.[10] The Virginia Teenage Republicans eventually joined the Democrats in supporting the bill,[11] and we're able to lobby several Republican lawmakers to vote for it. The two groups testified together in support of the legislation.[12] The bill passed the House of Delegates on January 22, 2021 by a vote of 62–37.[13] 8 Republicans voted for it.

The VAYD Teen Caucus and the Teen Republicans have also worked together to support Alfonso Lopez's bill to allow voter preregistration for 16-year-olds.

Organization

Leadership

The VAYD Teen Caucus elects a Chair and Vice Chair annually at the VAYD convention. The Chair is the chief executive of the caucus and also represents it to the VAYD Executive Committee, the Democratic Party of Virginia Central Committee, and the High School Democrats of America national committee. The Vice Chair assists the Chair, takes power in the absence of the Chair, and also represents the organization on the national committee.[14]

The Chair appoints the positions of Programs Director, Political Director, Membership Director, and Communications Director. These people make up the Board of Officers, along with any teen members of the VAYD executive committee.

Chapters

The VAYD Teen Caucus membership are based at chapters, mostly high school chapters, though some are county-wide chapters. These chapters are autonomous but must follow the rules of the Democratic Party and cannot discriminate against members or endorse primary candidates. Chapters host events such as phone banking and discussions to promote the Democratic Party in their area.[15] As of 2021, the VAYD Teen Caucus has 27 chapters.[16]

References
  1. "DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF VIRGINIA PARTY PLAN" (PDF). Democratic Party of Virginia.
  2. "STATES". High School Democrats of America. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  3. "Home - Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus". Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  4. Natanson, Hannah. "Virginia set to pass historic bill giving students time off to protest — because teen Republicans and Dems teamed up to demand it". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  5. "About the Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus". Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  6. "Virginia Democratic Party Plan" (PDF). DemRulz. 1975.
  7. "Young Democrats to host advocacy training for local high-schoolers". INSIDENOVA.COM. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  8. "Virginia Young Democrats announce High School Leadership Academy". Augusta Free Press. 2015-04-03. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  9. "Tell Your Legislator to Promote Virginia Student Civic Engagement through Half-Day Excused Student Absences". Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  10. "Virginia Democrats Unite in Support of Our Civic Engagement Bill - VAYD Teen Caucus". Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  11. "House of Delegates Advances Our Bipartisan Civic Engagement Bill, HB 1940 - VAYD Teen Caucus". Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  12. amy.friedenberger@roanoke.com 540-981-3356, Amy Friedenberger. "General Assembly notebook: House passes Del. Rasoul's youth civic engagement bill; measure restricts police use of facial recognition technology". Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  13. "LIS > Bill Tracking > HB1940 > 2021 session". lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  14. "Our Board - Virginia Young Dems Teen Caucus". Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  15. Paredes, Valerie. "Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus advises teens on how to get involved". The Highlander. Retrieved 2021-01-29.
  16. "High School Young Democrat Chapters - VAYD Teen Caucus". Retrieved 2021-01-29.

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