My Blue State '08

How to Increase the Youth Vote in the Democratic Party of New Mexico

In discussions with Democrats across the state, I've heard a consistent  concern over the increasing number of young voters registering without any party affiliation and the absence of youth in the party organization. On Tuesday I was in Deming meeting with the County Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Luna, Grant and Sierra counties and they put the question to me; "how can we get more youth involved in the party?"

We talked about several ideas but nothing really concrete. However,  yesterday, looking at the number of DTS voters in each county and our state party's delegate selection plan for 2008 Democratic National Convention, I came up with one  possible solution: let the youth vote in our caucus.

Youth who will be 18 years of age, on or by November 4th, 2008 and who registerer as a Democrat before the caucus on Feb. 5th, 2008, should be allowed to vote and have that vote counted in the Democratic Party of New Mexico's Presidential caucus. This would allow anyone born before November 4th, 1990 and after Feb 5th, 1990--mostly high school seniors, (current juniors) to become active in the party.

However, what would be even better, would be if we could allow students 16 years of age and older participate in the caucus as well, since this would allow students in their second year of high school to participate in two election cycles before graduating, the second being 2010.

Interestingly, our Delegate Selection Plan for 2008 actually provides for 2 Youth delegates to the national convention. If we have Youth Delegates in the plan, it would seem only fair that we allow youth participation in our caucus.

AlterNet: Democratic and Republican Parties, Realigned

AlterNet: Democratic and Republican Parties, Realigned:

Intransigence and myopia. The flowering of these habits within the GOP is driving the Democratic Party to clarity. And the potential for serious consequences is real. It is not enough to suggest that a big Democratic win is possible in 2008. Something far more strategic is at work: large-scale party realignment with historic implications.

None of this seems apparent, of course. Indeed, for a number of hopeful partisans, such a possibility seems beyond reason itself. Politics is assumed to be modulated through the inherited customs of the two major parties. Complacency and sloganeering are settled habits among Republicans. Clarity, on the other hand, can scarcely be called an ingrained cultural habit among Democrats. In the face of corporate saber-rattling, a fair degree of communal Democratic wilting is highly probable. This traditional analysis, while time-tested and even accurate as far as it goes, is leading to inside-the-Beltway conclusions that are superficial and obsolete.

What the "Youth" vote says about the Democratic Party of New Mexico

Who's most skeptical of the Democratic Party? People under the age of 34.

The belief that government can help solve problems facing our communities is what has always separated Democrats from Republicans. However, the rise of the unaffiliated voter shows that a growing number of New Mexicans are questioning whether the Democratic Party of New Mexico still stands for progress when it comes to solving the challenges facing communities today.

Of the 150,000 people who registered and voted in 2004,  56% were between 18 and 34. But when it came to choosing party affiliation, 30% of young voters chose to register without designating a party affiliation. 

It isn't that more voters are joining the Republican party, it's that they're choosing not to join the Democratic Party.

New Mexico is a closed primary state. Voters who choose not to have a party affiliation choose to be disenfranchised in primary elections.

More and more voters are choosing no party instead of our party. Democrats have to ask why? Is the rise of the independent voter in fact a vote of no-confidence in the Democratic Party of New Mexico?

The Democratic Party of New Mexico is no longer the party of the Majority in New Mexico. The question is whether Democrats in New Mexico want to do something about it.

Next: Why Democrats lost the 2004 Presidential election in New Mexico.

Graphs and stats courtesy of Research & Polling.