The Hamilton County Young Democrats will meet on Oct. 21 at Brier Brewery. The event is free for anyone to attend and brings young voters interested in policy changes together for advocacy. President Xavier Lewis said the event serves as an opportunity for politically engaged youth to create connections and share ideas with one another.

“Some of the main topics will include the future protests, specifically the No Kings protests coming up on the 18th, as well as working on a policy platform for the club,” he said. 

Lewis said youth involvement in politics has grown worldwide and believes the same momentum is building locally.

“Now more than ever, young people—we’ve seen around the world in protests in Nepal, Morocco, Madagascar—are getting involved in their governments, and that is true here,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of frustration among young people about what’s going on in government, understandably so. Getting them involved as early as possible is a great way for them to make their voices heard.”

Communications director Kim Qian and senior said local engagement helps people feel empowered when seeing the tangible impacts of their efforts.

“I feel like lots of young people feel overwhelmed and checked out when learning about national politics,” Qian said. “But when you engage in a local group, you join a network of passionate people who are all out there every day organizing and supporting each other, and you can really see how each individual makes a difference as well as builds a stronger community of people who can come together and fight together.”

Lewis said the Young Democrats’ goal was to give students an accessible entry point into local political work, with campaigning being one way.

“For one, we are very closely connected with a lot of the state house and state senate races,” he said. “I know the first campaign that I worked on, Alexis Flowery in Westfield, she only lost by 15, 16 votes. There’s real opportunity for young people to really make a difference in those smaller local elections, as well as the state house races, and those are the ones that really matter. 

Qian said joining organizations like the Young Democrats can connect youth with local leaders and decision-makers.

“Once you take the step into joining a larger organization, you turn a lot of these mysteries of who’s in charge of what and what people are doing into real understanding,” he said. “You get to see for yourself what’s happening at the local level and have your questions answered right away. That catches the ears of local politicians and people who are running for Congress as well.”

Lewis added that there were numerous ways for youth to be politically involved before they can vote.
“In Indiana, if you are 17 and you turn 18 before the general election, you are able to vote in the primary,” Lewis said. “Continuing to protest, speaking out, and communicating with friends and family members, getting them involved, persuading them to vote, as well as volunteering for campaigns.”

Jayden Zhang, president of Political Discussions Club and senior, said discussing politics was a great way to become more knowledgeable towards politics.

“Even if you don’t have voting power, the youth voice is something that a lot of people take into account,” Zhang said. “Even just discussing politics with your friends, even if it’s not public, is important so everyone can share ideas and stay informed.”

Lewis said social media has also made his generation more informed and engaged.

“It’s very easy to meet somebody, Gen Z or younger, who can really tell you about a particular issue, whether that’s around the globe or a very niche policy issue, whether that’s climate change or LGBT rights,” he said. “I think one of the things that really defines our generation compared to others is that we haven’t seen young people disengaged in a while, at least since the 1960s during the Civil Rights era.”

Zhang said the current political climate has influenced how youth approach political discussions.

“In the past, youth were a lot more directly politically active—you saw protests and movements like the hippie movement,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of political radicalization happening right now. I see a lot of pushback in my club—some people are not willing to accept less moderate viewpoints.”

Qian said the current political environment has sparked new passion among young voters.
“My first meeting with the Hamilton County Young Democrats was right after the election because I was following what was happening and I knew that things were not going to go in a good direction, and they have not,” Qian said. “At that meeting, we saw a record turnout of people who normally wouldn’t get involved. People are feeling the impacts of how this administration is affecting their everyday lives, how they’re targeting the most vulnerable people among us.”

Qian said the urgency of issues like affordability, climate change and gun legislation has also fueled young people’s involvement.

“I also think that some of the most threatening issues that we face as a nation are most threatening to young people,” she said. “We feel the burden of that failure in policy the most, and our group consists of people who are just tired of what’s going on and won’t take no for an answer.”

Lewis said he agreed.
“I think the current administration is making it hard for young people to find work through tariff policies,” he said. “I absolutely attribute a lot of youth engagement to the current administration, but it wouldn’t have to be this administration for young people to get involved.”

 

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