College & Young Dems: All Iowa Students Have the Right to Caucus
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
All over Iowa, young Democrats are working tirelessly for our party’s candidates for president. We are knocking on doors, organizing rallies, making phone calls and registering voters, volunteering our time in between classes and work to support the candidates we favor in the lead up to the Iowa Caucuses.
This is nothing new. Last November, Iowa’s young people worked hard to bring about the Democratic Party’s watershed victory. We did so because they know the Democratic Party shares their values. We voted for a party that wants to fight global warming, poverty and inequality. We volunteered for a party that wants to make college more affordable and ensure that every American has healthcare. We stood for a party with a historic commitment to inclusion and tolerance – a party that fights for every American’s right to participate in the political process.
That’s why we were so surprised this week to see some candidates attack the fundamental right of Iowa’s young people to participate in the Iowa Caucuses. Though it may win points with a few folks to argue that young people who live in Iowa and are legally eligible to caucus this January should sit on their hands and let others chose the Democratic nominee, advocating the disenfranchisement of young people is wrong. It is not the Democratic Party that young people work so hard for everyday.
We doubt anyone would argue that a person who moved to Des Moines in the last few months to work in our state should stay home on January 3rd. We can’t find anyone saying older Iowans who spend their winter months in other parts of the country, or people who have moved to Iowa retirement communities from surrounding states, shouldn’t exercise their right to vote. So why is it that a young person’s right to vote is suddenly a contentious issue?
No matter who obtains our party’s nomination, young Democrats are going to work relentlessly to send a Democrat to the White House next year. We will do so because the Democratic Party we support stands for inclusion and popular participation, not exclusion for political gain .
Contact:
Alec Schierenbeck, president@iowacollegedems.com
