Empowering a New Generation: Young activists in the Democrats

​Part 2 – Clark County Young Democrats Rock!

​By Paul Pickett

​Young Democrats have the potential to be a vibrant, active organization for people 18 through 35 who want to make good trouble and political change. I connected with Clark County Young Democrats (CCYD), and interviewed Kieran Kardong, who is clearly one of their rank-and-file leaders.

Kieran Kardong

How long have you been involved with CCYD?
I love political work – I moved to Vancouver, WA, in July and wanted to get involved. The first group I connected with was “Grumpy Old Democrats,” who were awesome, but I was too young. Then I connected with Clark County Young Democrats, and they have been great. They had a fundraising event – “Ballots and Booze” – which was really big with lots of local electeds. This summer, there will be the Washington Young Dem State convention in Vancouver. Lots of people here are working on that – outreach, coordination, venues.

How many people usually attend your meetings?
We have hybrid meetings, and usually 20 people go to meetings, but a lot more people are involved. We have a lot of people who are really motivated and eager to work.

How long has it been active?
A couple of people got involved the last couple years to get it going. Elias Olson is the chair, Emma Montague is a vice-chair – you can see the officers on our website (Clark County Young Democrats Board). Great leadership makes or breaks the group. 

What are the CYD activities?
We’re working on structure for this year. One business meeting per month. Social events, too. In the past, alternative months were business and social. But with the events of the past year and critical mid-term elections coming up, this year we’re focusing on monthly business meetings, while scheduling a few social events. One social event we have planned is to have the mayor of Miami talk about getting into politics. 

Do you do endorsements?
Yes, we have set up an endorsement committee, candidates and groups that young people can trust. 

Do you partner with other groups? 
We work with other county political groups. We’ve worked closely with City Council members. 

What if your members have an important issue they want to comment on?
If someone says they want us to support something we believe in, we’ll generally give them our support. One example: member activism helped get people to protests.

What are CCYD’s communication channels?
Mostly the social media apps Signal or Discord for a shout-out. Email, newsletter for basic information. Also Instagram and Facebook. 

Are you targeting new members?
I want to work more on this. Social events are the main way to draw people in, to welcome them. We want to do more targeted outreach.

What are the typical ages of active members?
Later 20s, 27 to 32. Some older members are about to “age out”. (Young Democrat rules say members must be 35 or younger.) 

Where is your membership on the political spectrum?
​Everyone is welcome, as long as you call yourself a Democrat. Some members lean towards Socialism, some are more moderate. We have some disagreements on small things, but no huge disagreements. People get along. Our goal is the “Big Tent.” Republicans are very united; we can’t get bogged down on little things. It’s so important to be united, and to be respectful of different views.