Platform (What the heck is a "delegate", and why am I running for it?)
Platform:
Delegates are the people who go to the Democratic Party's National Convention every summer. They cast the "official" votes for President and decide who the nominee is (but since the voters chose Joe Biden, most delegates are required to vote for him). Delegates also get to shape the official Party Platform and decide what the priorities of the Democrats are going to be.
There are so many people who want to go to the Convention and be a delegate, that the way to decide who gets to go is an election. I'm running in that election against a bunch of other people in Miami who also want to go to the Convention.
I'm not just running because I want to go to the Convention (which might even get canceled or be virtual if the pandemic doesn't end). I'm also running because I want to make sure that the priorities of the younger generations are heard. I support Joe Biden, but he's 77 years old. I'm 18, and I want to make sure Joe and the rest of the party know what young people care about. If I get elected as a delegate, I will get to have a say in the party platform. These are the things I will fight for if elected:
- Reinstate DACA: So many young people in this country don't have citizenship status despite growing up here, because the DREAM Act never got passed. I want to make sure Joe Biden will prioritize giving undocumented people a path to citizenship.
- Stop Climate Change: The youngest generation is the first that will see the full effects of climate change on our everyday lives. Especially living in the single most at-risk city in the world for sea level rise, I want to ensure the Democratic Party fights hard to save our climate.
- End Gun Violence: The tragedy at Parkland happened an hour away from our school. I remember, a week later, someone was popping balloons in the hallway, and everyone ducked for cover. Things like that should NEVER happen in schools. We shouldn't have to be afraid of shootings on top of studying and extracurriculars.
- Better Mental Health Services: We need to make headlines about students committing suicide a thing of the past. Great people die from depression far too often because they never knew where they could go for help. Democrats should fight to have mental health counselors in every school.
- Beat back Student Debt: As this generation enters college, many of us will take on debt that we won't pay back until we're middle-aged. Democrats must prioritize student loan forgiveness and reducing the cost of public college.
How to vote for delegate (less than 5 minutes):
- To vote, you have to be 18 or older, live in Miami-Dade County, and be registered to vote as a Democrat.
- Go to floridadems.org/delegates
- Click on "Request electronic ballot"
- Fill out your first name, middle name, and last name, exactly as it appears on your voter registration. You won’t get to vote if you fill it out wrong, so make sure you check. To make sure you’ve got the right info, click on the link where it says "voter registration record" and look yourself up.
- Once you look up your voter registration to make sure you know it's accurate, go back to the form, and fill out the first page according to what it says on your voter registration information. When you’re done, click the blue arrow button.
- Fill out the second page, again exactly with the same information as you have on your voter registration. Please note that this information isn’t seen by anyone and the Democratic Party keeps your info safe. The information you submit will be used by the Democratic Party to verify your voter registration and Congressional district. Make sure you put in your main email address, because that’s the address they’re gonna send the ballot to. If you put the wrong address, you won’t be able to vote for Delegate.
- Now it will ask you to pick a Joe Biden ballot or a Bernie Sanders ballot. Choose Joe Biden. I’m running as Biden delegate, so my name only appears on the Biden ballot. It doesn’t matter whether you supported Biden, Bernie, or someone else; if you don’t pick a Biden ballot, you won’t be able to vote for me. This doesn’t mean you’re voting for Joe Biden — it just means you’re picking who represents him at the convention.
- Click "Submit Ballot Request." That's it! Once you click the button, you’ll receive an email confirming your ballot request. Then, on Thursday, May 14, at 2:00 PM, you will receive an email with a link and unique code to cast your vote in the delegate elections. Votes must be cast by 2:00 PM on Saturday, May 16. That’s 2 days to cast your vote.
