Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus

The Virginia Young Democrats Teen Caucus (VAYD Teen Caucus) is the teen branch of the Democratic Party of Virginia and the Virginia chapter of the High School Democrats of America. The VAYD Teen Caucus is an affiliate of the Virginia Young Democrats, an affiliate of the Young Democrats of America. The Caucus claims to be "one of only two teen Democratic organizations in the nation that is officially recognized by a State Party. "

The VAYD Teen Caucus' counterpart is the Virginia Teenaged Republicans, who have worked together on several civic engagement initiatives.

History
The VAYD Teen Caucus was founded in 1932 as the "Virginia Teen Democratic Clubs. " The Virginia Teen Democratic Clubs had representation to the Democratic Party of Virginia Central Committee, even before the Virginia College Democrats had access to the Central Committee.

The VAYD Teen Caucus claims the title of the oldest state chapter of the High School Democrats of America. The Teen Caucus worked with Virginia DNC Member amend the national charter of the Democratic Party to give the national Chair and Vice Chair seats on the Democratic National Committee. The amendment passed in August 2019.

Beginning in 2015 under the leadership of Graham Weinschenk, the VAYD Teen Caucus began an annual high school leadership academy to train high school Democrats on how to become leaders in the Party. The academy is also intended to allow high school students a college-like experience.

Initiatives
The VAYD Teen Caucus has taken on a number of legislative initiatives, mostly bipartisan.

The VAYD Teen Caucus had the idea to the amend Virginia attendance law to allow secondary school students to take a day off for civic engagement. The group worked with legislators to get the bill introduced in the 2021 Virginia General Assembly, where it was numbered HB1940 and SB1439, introduced by Del. Sam Rasoul and Sen. Jennifer McClellan, respectively. Caucus Chairman Matthew Savage made successfully proposed the bill to be endorsed by several Democratic organizations, including the Democratic Party of Virginia central committee. The Virginia Teenage Republicans eventually joined the Democrats in supporting the bill, and we're able to lobby several Republican lawmakers to vote for it. The two groups testified together in support of the legislation. The bill passed the House of Delegates on January 22, 2021 by a vote of 62–37. 8 Republicans voted for it.

The VAYD Teen Caucus and the Teen Republicans have also worked together to support Alfonso Lopez's bill to allow voter preregistration for 16-year-olds.

Leadership
The VAYD Teen Caucus elects a Chair and Vice Chair annually at the VAYD convention. The Chair is the chief executive of the caucus and also represents it to the VAYD Executive Committee, the Democratic Party of Virginia Central Committee, and the High School Democrats of America national committee. The Vice Chair assists the Chair, takes power in the absence of the Chair, and also represents the organization on the national committee.

The Chair appoints the positions of Programs Director, Political Director, Membership Director, and Communications Director. These people make up the Board of Officers, along with any teen members of the VAYD executive committee.

Chapters
The VAYD Teen Caucus membership are based at chapters, mostly high school chapters, though some are county-wide chapters. These chapters are autonomous but must follow the rules of the Democratic Party and cannot discriminate against members or endorse primary candidates. Chapters host events such as phone banking and discussions to promote the Democratic Party in their area. As of 2021, the VAYD Teen Caucus has 27 chapters.