Three students from a Jackson County High School recently attended a regularly scheduled Jackson County Democratic Committee meeting at the Carnegie Library community room. The three young men, said they were looking for a meaningful, compassionate, and truthful political entity. This was not a one-off evening of curiosity for the young men as they had already sat in on several Jackson City Council meetings to learn how the city was being governed. At the JCDC meeting, it quickly became evident that all three of the students understand the separate functions of federal, state, and local levels of government. Not only were they aware of current political issues, they also showed that they had knowledge of past events that have brought us to today’s political climate.
One might naturally, expect that young participants as a political meeting could be impatient with customery and necessary procedures. However the three sat attentively patient as the older attendees conducted business and discussed pending legislation. It was by now, not surprising that the young men were also up to date on the legislative bills under discussion. At a subsequent informal meeting, the young men elaborated on their decision to attend a Democratic function. They explained what issues were most important to young voters. They understood how candidates at three levels of government could most likley be expected to vote on current and future issues, and their understanding of what voters must do in order to realize the outcomes they desired. Their presence bought my attention to likely future interactions with young voters. As active veteran JCDC members, we must recognize the value and importance of listening to the views of this constituency of Democratic voters.
Written by a longtime active member of the JCDC and past recipient of the Volunteer of the Year award. The previous article was written about the young men, High School seniors that attended last month’s JCDC meeting.