Happy April, Young Democrats!

As we catch up, the whirlwind of events since our last newsletter has kept us on our toes. Across the political landscape, numerous primary elections have drawn to a close, marking significant milestones in the democratic process.

In legal proceedings, the commencement of Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York has captured widespread attention, further illuminating the threat he still poses to American Democracy.

In other news, Congress’ progress toward passing a bill to aid Ukraine signals a potential breakthrough after months of gridlock in the House but also illustrates the dysfunction and chaos of the current GOP majority. 

As we navigate all these developments, the unfolding stories underscore how high the stakes are this November. We hope some of the opportunities in this month’s newsletter can help you be better prepared for the necessary work ahead. 

YDA Jewish Caucus Virtual Passover Seder – April 25 – Virtual 
Young Democrats of Arkansas Convention – April 26 – 28, 2024 – Little Rock, AR
Nebraska Young Democrats Convention – April 28, 2024 – La Vista, NE
International Workers’ Day. Celebration – May 1, 2024 – Virtual

IFLRY General Assembly – May 9-12, 2024 – Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Young Democrats of Nevada Statewide Conference – May 17, 2024 – Las Vegas, NV
California Young Democrats  Convention – May 17-19, 2024 – San Diego, CA

Is there a YDA chartered unit or caucus event that should be listed in our next newsletter? Email us at [email protected] to let us know.

The Young Democrats of America is holding a virtual conference on the weekend of June 5-9. YDA will facilitate virtual committees, constituency caucuses, trainings, and other programming to offer an opportunity for young democrats to connect and build while ensuring that some important organizational business is completed before the Democratic National Convention this August. You can visit our website for more information which will be updated with more details later this month. 

Join the NJYD Labor Caucus and YDA Labor Caucus for a virtual event in honor of International Workers’ Day! Our guest speaker will be Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-LD1) who is the Vice Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Liaison to Labor. This event is free but registration is required. Don’t miss it — register today. 

Tired of book bans? It might be time to learn more about running for office! Local officeholders – like school board members – can make an enormous impact on policy and on people’s lives. 

During this webinar, the Run for Something team will talk about running for office and share resources on how you can prepare to run. There will be time for Q&A at the end of the call, and within 1-2 days after the webinar, you will receive links to online resources to learn more about how to run for office. Register for this event by clicking this link. 

The YDA Jewish Caucus will be hosting our annual Zoom Passover Seder this Thursday at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT, and we are opening it up to all of our members and non-Jewish friends! Passover is an annual Jewish holiday commemorating the ancient Israelites’ freedom from slavery in Egypt and celebrating freedom, justice, and perseverance! It will be very accessible to all first-timers. We would be honored to have you join us. Please sign up by clicking this link. 

Arena is hosting a virtual event, Starting Your Career in Politics, for aspiring campaign staffers to learn what entry level roles on campaigns look like. After the info session, they’ll host a jobs fair to connect students and recent grads with some of the biggest campaigns in the space including Biden for President, DCCC, DLCC, the Democratic Coordinated Campaigns of Ohio, Montana, Arizona, New Hampshire, and North Carolina, and more. Please sign up by clicking this link. 

Provided in coordination with  Eve Levenson – National Youth Engagement Director, Biden for President

Are you passionate about making a difference on your campus and in your community? This is your opportunity to be at the forefront of change. By signing up, you’ll become a pivotal part of a nationwide network of students dedicated to supporting President Joe Biden’s vision and policies. Receive regular updates, exclusive insights, and the chance to organize impactful events for young voters across the country.  Please sign up by clicking this link. 

You can also signup for youth-specific updates from the Biden campaign. Simply text “YOUTH” to 30330, or alternatively, you can sign up by clicking on this  link. 

Students for Biden-Harris is coordinating a reproductive freedom campus week of action from April 27 to May 5 to organize around the second anniversary of the leaked Dobbs’s opinion. To help support students interested in planning events on their campus, the campaign has created a toolkit to help students plan events on campus.  You can click here to access the Reproductive Freedom Campus Week of Action Toolkit.

This form is for volunteer leaders with Students for Biden-Harris to request resources for events being hosted during the final stretch of the Spring 2024 semester. Filling out this form does not guarantee you will be reimbursed, so please do not make any purchases until you receive a confirmation email from our team. Please note requests for events surrounding Earth Day and our Reproductive Freedom Week of Action will be prioritized, as will requests from the campaign’s battleground states. Click here to access the form. 

Younger voters can influence North Carolina elections. What do they care about? 

“I think young voters in North Carolina specifically are casting one of the most powerful ballots in 2024,” said Sloan Duvall, president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Young Democrats and chair of Students for Stein. 

The competitive nature of the races in the state should be encouraging to college-aged voters and send a strong message to any candidate running in the state, she said. 

“And these candidates know that they are not going to win if they don’t have young people behind them in North Carolina,” Duvall said. 

Protestors meet at Capitol while House Republicans block vote to Repeal Abortion Ban

“Our organization really calls on every member of the state Senate to repeal the archaic 1864 abortion ban because people will die between now and the (​​Arizona Abortion Access Act),” Isabel Hiserodt, a junior studying political science and president of Young Democrats at ASU, said. 

The Arizona Abortion Access Act is a proposed state constitutional amendment that would establish a right to abortions in Arizona. The measure has over 500,000 signatures as of April 2, surpassing the requirement to put it on the November 2024 ballot. 

LISTEN: What a Gen Z Georgia activist says about the 2024 election

Listen to the full  49 minute episode via Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Davante Jennings, chairman of the Young Democrats of Georgia Black Caucus and an organizer at the New Georgia Project, joins the podcast to talk about what’s inspired him to become a political activist after he was disillusioned by Donald Trump’s victory in 2016.

Abortion Ranks Among Top Issues for Young Women Voters

1. Young people—especially young women—say they will support Biden’s reelection.
Approximately half (53 percent) of young Americans indicate they will “definitely be voting” in the 2024 general election for president. This number is about the same as it was in the spring of 2020, a very high youth turnout year.

Do you know a YDA chartered unit that should be highlighted in our next newsletter? Email us at [email protected] to let us know which unit and why! 

YDA Delegation is heading to the IFLRY General Assembly in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire 🇨🇮

The International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) is convening its General Assembly in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from May 9th to the 12th, and YDA is excited to send a delegation to this significant event. 

IFLRY is the worldwide federation of liberal youth organizations, and works to unite voices for democracy, human rights, and economic freedom. The assembly is a key nexus for liberal youth to exchange ideas, learn from one another, and strengthen international ties.

YDA nominates Arne Nelson for IFLRY Vice President

The Young Democrats of America proudly nominates Arne Nelson for IFLRY Vice President. As the International Officer of YDA for the last three years, Arne has gained extensive experience managing our international affairs portfolio, from building and leading delegations to IFLRY General Assemblies to building stronger relationships with other like minded political youth organizations around the world.  IFLRY will elect Vice Presidents and other members of the governing body (the Bureau) at the General Assembly in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire this May.