Numerous chapters of the Young Democrats of Connecticut met in West Hartford to discuss the future of their party on Sept. 25. Gov. Ned Lamont was one of numerous political speakers who attended the event in anticipation of the upcoming midterm elections.
The event was organized by the Young Democrats of Connecticut, a branch of the Young Democrats of America, to raise funds for new strategies to get young people voting. According to their website, The Young Democrats of America is the largest youth-led partisan political organization nationwide.
With over 20,000 chapters spanning across 50 states, this volunteer organization mobilizes young Democrats to participate in the political process. The average age of these volunteers is between 18 to 36, with a focus on engaging youth voters who would otherwise be uninterested in politics.
Multiple political candidates running for the first congressional district rallied trying to reach young voters for the upcoming primary. Ruth Fortune, Luke Bronin and John Larson, all running for the first congressional district, were in attendance. Larson, who has served as congressmen for the first district for 20 years, was in attendance for the first portion of the event.
Fortune, a former undocumented immigrant from Haiti, spoke about the experiences she faced as an immigrant in the United States. She discussed undocumented immigrants in Connecticut and the hardships they face. Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford who bailed the city out of a bankruptcy crisis, spoke about the affordability crisis in America and the housing crisis affecting young adults.
These three politicians, along with other politicians in attendance like Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Lamont, used this event as an opportunity to speak with the constituents who make up the next generation of their party. The congressional candidates addressed their concerns for the future, touching on the Democratic party losing young voters to Republicans. This concern was backed up by data from insurancejournal.com, showing that the voter population is getting older.
In an exclusive interview at the event, Lamont discussed what he believed was essential in engaging young voters in future elections.
“You have to make life a lot more affordable,” Lamont said. “Easier for you to get an education, easier for you to start a family, easier for you to buy your first home and start a business.”
In Connecticut, youth voters often have low turnout in both local and state elections. In the Hartford area alone, nearly half of eligible youth voters did not cast a ballot. According to CTData.org, “individuals aged 18-29 experience the lowest voter registration rates.”
In stark contrast, older Connecticut voters are more likely to show up and vote. Data from CTData.org and Data.ct.gov show that in the 2016 election, elderly voters had some of the highest turnout rates. This highlights a challenge the Democratic Party must face: how to engage more young voters.
When asked about the turnout of his first fundraiser, Young Democrats of Connecticut President Allan Cunningham called it “widely successful in terms of funds but also in terms of building a community.”
The event “got over 50 young people on the ballot across Connecticut,” according to Cunningham.
“We’re talking with people, we’re making connections, and young people are meeting the politicians that represent them,” Cunningham said.
Ryan Rosario, president of the College Democrats of Connecticut, said, “Look around, you see not only the future of the Democratic Party, but the future of Connecticut, here in this room.”
People young and old united under one common goal of progress and change within the Democratic Party at the conference.
“We have to find young voters where they are”, said Rosario, “We can’t depend on consultants to lead us to the solution for political apathy amongst young people”.
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