Moving Millennials into Elected Office

Cross-posted at MyDD and Daily Kos

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Long March - the movement of Millennials into positions of political power. At the time, I didn't know how many young people occupied elected office. I've got some actual numbers now, courtesy of Andrew Gillum, Executive Director of the Young Elected Officials Network, and, surprisingly, we may well be ahead of the curve.

Strauss and Howe predicted that by 2019, Millennials would occupy 5% of government leadership positions. According to the Young Elected Officials Network website, 18-35 year olds currently occupy 4.8% of all elected officials, from congress and governorships down to the school board level. While that age bracket doesn't totally track with Millennials (28/29 and under), it's an encouraging number. Andrew himself is a Cusp Millennial. He's 27 years old and, along with his duties as ED of YEO, he's the city commissioner of Tallahassee Florida, a position he's held since the age of 23.

According to Andrew, the Young Elected Officials Network is currently comprised of 318 elected officials under 36 years of age. And they occupy a wide range of offices:

• 40% are State Representatives
• 28% are City Commissioners
• There are 29 mayors, and even 4 Congressmen.

It's thanks to the work of groups like YEO, we're likely on track to exceed Strauss and Howe's predictions, so let me sing their praises for a moment. YEO, a project of People for the American Way, is open (for free) to any and all elected officials - down to the schoolboard level - who are progressive and want to increase their effectiveness in office. The network offers personal training on a wide, wide range of issues - from effective campaigning and building a small donor fundraising base (so that our officials can avoid corporate influence and dicey ethical situations as they collect money for reelection), to 6 month policy "boot camps." More than a training ground and leadership development program, it is a network that connects young officials across the country and encourages them to share their experiences and ideas, and support each other in an environment that is frequently hostile to new ideas proposed by uppity youngsters.

The Right has been doing this for decades. Groups like the Leadership Institute - which has a yearly budget in excess of $12 million - has been providing their candidates with training and networking services like these since the late 70s.

I know that frequently (and very much so lately), we are disappointed by our leaders. By their timidity, their willingness to abandon progressive values, and their exploitation of the grassroots energy that puts them in office. If we want stronger leaders that get things done and don't abandon progressive causes the day after election day, we need to be doing more to support the work of YEO. Ditto for the issues and world-view that are particular to Millennials.

Right now, YEOs are a mix of tail-end Gen Xers and Cusp Millennials. Out of the 318 YEOs currently in the network, the average age of YEOs are 32. Very rapidly their ranks will be composed primarily, and then solely, by Millennials. This can be a vehicle for our generation to rapidly assume positions of influence in politics, and continue to speed up "the long march."

For more information, I recommend checking out this blog by Adam Conner, reporting from the 2007 YEO conference. Adam provided great coverage of the spirit of the conference, some panels, and profiles of just a few of the Young Elected Officials who are moving progressive politics, and Millennial influence, forward.