Young Democrats of America

The Young Democrats of America (YDA) is the youth wing of the Democratic Party of the United States. YDA operates as a separate organization from the Democratic National Committee; following the passage of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, it became an independent 527 organization.[2] The group's membership consists of Democrats from ages 14 to 35, and its political activities include an emphasis on increasing the voter turnout of young people.

For the Dutch political youth organisation Young Democrats, see Jonge Democraten. For the Belarusian youth organisation YCSU Young Democrats, see YCSU Young Democrats.
Not to be confused with Young Democratic Socialists of America.
Young Democrats of America
PresidentQuentin Wathum-Ocama (MN)
FoundedMarch 4, 1932 (1932-03-04)[1]
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
IdeologyModern liberalism
Progressivism
Mother partyDemocratic Party
International affiliationInternational Federation of Liberal Youth
Websitewww.yda.org

Leadership

YDA membership elects seven national officers on a biennial basis at the organization's National Convention in odd-numbered years and two DNC representatives in even-numbered years. These officers maintain the day-to-day management of the organization. Most recently, officers were elected at the 2023 YDA National Convention in Las Vegas.

Between national conventions, the governing body of YDA is the National Committee which is composed of the president and two national committee representatives from each chartered unit, along with the chairs of the twelve constituency caucuses, eight regional directors, eight chairs of select committees, and the nine individually elected officers.

The President, Democratic National Committeeman, and Democratic National Committeewoman are members of the Democratic National Committee, and superdelegates to any Democratic National Convention occurring during their terms.

2021–2023 National Officers

2022–2024 Democratic National Committee Members
  • Democratic National Committee Representative: Steph Campanha Wheaton of New York[3]
  • Democratic National Committee Representative: Dunixi Guereca of Nebraska[3]

Ex officio National Officers
  • Chair of the Association of Chartered Unit Presidents: Jovan Richards of New York[4]
  • Chair of the Council of Caucus Chairs: Zachary Shartiag of Illinois

Past leaders

Democratic party leaders and Democratic elected officials who are former YDA National Officers include:[5]

National Convention, National Committee, and chartered units

The YDA organization is composed of "chartered units" with one from each U.S. state or territory.[6] YDA holds a National Convention every two years during the summer of odd-numbered years with complex rules for how many votes each chartered unit may cast. The YDA National Committee meets at least two times per year and consists of the President of each chartered unit, two representatives of differing gender identities from each chartered unit, and a number of other officers and committee and caucus chairs.[6]

National Convention locations

Past and Future YDA National Conventions were held in the below venues:[7]

  • 2024: Portland, OR
  • 2023: Las Vegas, NV
  • 2021: Cincinnati, OH
  • 2019: Indianapolis, IN
  • 2017: Dallas, TX
  • 2015: Los Angeles, CA
  • 2013: San Antonio, TX
  • 2011: Louisville, KY
  • 2009: Chicago, IL
  • 2007: Dallas, TX
  • 2005: San Francisco, CA
  • 2003: Buffalo, NY
  • 2001: New York City, NY
  • 1999: Little Rock, AR
  • 1997: Miami, FL
  • 1995: New Orleans, LA
  • 1993: Merrillville, IN
  • 1991: St Louis, MO
  • 1989: Columbus, OH
  • 1987: Phoenix, AZ
  • 1985: Miami, FL
  • 1983: Charleston, WV
  • 1981: Richmond, VA

See also

References
  1. "Young Democrats of America – Marin County Young Democrats". WordPress. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 2016-03-13.
  2. Connery, Michael. Youth to Power: How Today's Young Voters Are Building Tomorrow's Democratic Majority, ig Publishing, 2008 ISBN 978-0-9788431-3-7
  3. "National Officers". 16 October 2019.
  4. "National Officers". Young Democrats of America. 2021-12-04. Retrieved 2021-12-04.
  5. "YDA past officers (1932-2021)". 30 June 2018.
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2017-06-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Past Officers « YDA – Young Democrats of America". www.yda.org:80. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
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