Politics & Government

Op-Ed: High School Disenfranchisement?

The president of the Virginia Young Democrats says voters under 18 should not be excluded from party restructuring processes.

Written by Gonzaldo Aida, president of the Virginia Young Democrats

In the coming days, the Fairfax Democratic Committee will undergo the biannual re-structuring that all Democratic clubs in the Commonwealth undergo. 

However, the issue is, a huge number of Democrats in Fairfax could potentially be excluded from the process.

For reasons unknown, some decision makers have issued opinions that would exclude high school students under 18 for the re-structuring, which is handled through a series of local caucuses.

While many high school students are not old enough to vote, they still substantially contribute to the goals of the Democratic Committee—electing Democrats, and helping to inform the public about Democrats and their platform. 

I am a long-term veteran of the campaign trail, and many of my super-volunteers have been high school students. They have more free time and because they cannot directly vote, feel a need to ensure their voice is heard.

Additionally, high school students have an increased incentive to be politically active—they have the longest future ahead of them in Fairfax County, Virginia and America.  

The Virginia Young Democrats have established chapters at four Fairfax high schools, and contacts at 10 more, to hopefully establish more chapters in the coming months.

Democrats in Fairfax should demand that the re-structuring process allow for high school students and other non-voters who are good Democrats to participate in the organization. We hope members of the committee will demand a change to the bylaws that will prohibit this discrimination in the future!

Gonzaldo Aida


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