CONVENTION DAILY

The Denver Crowd's Youthful Look

by Marilyn Werber Serafini

Mon. Jul 28, 2008



National Journal looks ahead at what to expect at the conventions.

When Taylor Bates, 18, entered the competition to become a Vermont delegate to the Democratic National Convention, his intention wasn't to change the world. Nevertheless, his presence, along with an unprecedented number of other young delegates, will give the 2008 convention a new look.

Larger states report that their delegations are trending younger. About 11 percent of the California delegation, for instance, is under 30 (49 of the 441 delegates), compared with 8.6 percent in 2004. Not only does that mean there will be less gray in the crowd, but when TV viewers--or Internet users--tune in, they are going to get an eyeful of young tech heads and their gear.

Bates, for his part, will arrive in Denver with a new Apple MacBook. He plans to carry the laptop everywhere he goes, including to the convention floor, so he can immediately blog his experiences. Bates says he is particularly excited that his MacBook has a webcam, which will allow folks back home to watch him live on his blog.

Camden, N.C., delegate Jared Hagemann is also packing his laptop, although the 18-year-old plans to blog from his cellphone. "I can take photos and put it right on my phone and send it. Videos and pictures."

Meanwhile, Donald Hughes, 20, a delegate from Durham, N.C., has started a Facebook group for Obama delegates ages 25 and under. He wants to get the younger cohort talking so they can make Denver a positive experience socially, and also get them thinking about how to energize more young people when they get home. So far, 30 delegates have joined his group.

Hughes plans to organize a meeting of the group in Denver, at which he will urge members to host post-convention gatherings on college campuses to show photos of the event, explain what they did, and encourage overall awareness of and involvement in the election process by young people.

With all the new technology and access, delegates will be under the microscope constantly in Denver, but that's a good thing, says Bates, who likes the party's program this year to promote blogging. The Democrats have credentialed one official blogger from each state who will, in essence, be embedded with that state's delegation. The blogger will sit on the convention floor with the delegation and attend its meetings and events.

Don Foley, the convention manager of the 1996 Democratic convention in Chicago and now executive director of Progressive Automotive X Prize, a competition to design sporty, clean, and efficient cars, calls the level of openness a big change from previous years, when people at home saw only what TV networks chose to show. "The more information and outreach we have, and the more individuals and groups are touched by actions on the floor and activities around the convention, that spells more involvement and excitement on the part of younger voters."

Seeing younger faces along with greater numbers of women and minorities, he adds, "sends a very powerful signal to the country at large. Telegenically, this will send a different message to the American people. Every four years there's a discussion about how these conventions have become relics of the past."

Foley said he doubts that young people will have much influence on substantive convention matters this year. "But sometimes the tail needs to wag the dog a bit," he said. "If there's a significant change in demographics, when it's time to populate important committees next time, not only will the women and minorities be well represented but also young people."

And the innovations in Denver won't be confined to the young, Foley said, noting that older people like blogs, too. "The cat is out of the bag, and there's no way to contain this. Anyone who's upset that they have a martini glass in their hand in a visual on YouTube is going to have to get over that fast."

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