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Q&A
Cleo Acevedo discusses youth voter affiliation, party engagement, and public campaign finance
2:30:37
·
4 min
Commissioner Valerie White questions Cleo Acevedo about the potential for natural dilution of voting blocks if younger people of color are increasingly unaffiliated with political parties.
Acevedo shares her personal experience of registering as an independent due to not feeling fully represented, but then changing to Democrat to vote. She argues low youth turnout and affiliation are less about party alignment and more about a lack of appealing candidates and engagement from parties, which she feels often favor established figures over diverse community voices. She emphasizes the importance of public campaign finance in enabling grassroots candidates.
Valerie White
2:30:37
I have one just a quick question.
2:30:40
Thank you both, Ms.
2:30:41
Acevedo.
2:30:42
This whole issue of diluting, voting blocks in particular, folks of color is is very concerning to me.
2:30:53
I don't wanna speak to all the commissioners.
2:30:54
I think so.
2:30:55
Right?
2:30:55
Because we wanna be sure everyone has the opportunity to participate.
2:30:59
I guess one of the things that that, tends that that is, I continue to look at and be concerned about is is there a natural dilution happening because less and less people, young people, that look like me, you, or or some of the folks that you're describing are actually, registering to be in the in the party.
2:31:22
So the affiliation, is it shifting now that we're going into different, generations?
2:31:27
So a lot of the data, that we continue to ask for that we're gonna look at, I think, is really important because, you know, I understand your position clearly, but I wanna be sure that that, anything that we propose is not backing us into a corner where we're we're losing, the ability to have that participation that everybody, you know, in particular certain blocks of of, their generations before voted.
2:31:55
So so, you know, fought so hard to have that vote.
2:31:58
So that I don't know if you have any thoughts on that.
Cleo Acevedo
2:32:02
If you could just state exactly what your question is.
Valerie White
2:32:04
My question is, do you, do you feel like, folks in your generation, because you said how old you are, right, are less likely, of of of color, are less likely to affiliate with the party.
2:32:19
And that's my concern.
2:32:21
Right?
2:32:21
So I understand.
2:32:22
But if we have more and more unaffiliated people of color, then you have less and less ability for them to participate.
Cleo Acevedo
2:32:29
Yeah.
2:32:30
The reality is is that I actually changed my affiliation today to the Democratic Party because I was actually registered as independent.
2:32:38
The reason why I was registered as independent is because I felt like there wasn't a specific party that represented my my goals.
2:32:44
Right?
2:32:45
Exactly.
2:32:45
Like many people also think.
2:32:47
Right?
2:32:47
But I also didn't vote in the previous elections.
2:32:51
Not because I didn't have a party representation, because if I really wanted to, I could have switched my party like I did today.
2:32:57
But what it was is because I didn't feel that there was enough of a campaign that called to me that said, hey.
2:33:06
You should vote.
2:33:07
What actually led to me call voting for the prime not primary elections, but voting in general, was Kamala Harris running for president.
2:33:16
And that was the first time I ever voted and casted my ballot.
2:33:20
Now the reason for that was because of her representation, her representing me as a black woman, but also the fact that she's the second black woman to ever run for The United States President.
2:33:30
So I think the reality here is that the reason why we have low voter turnout and low affiliation to parties and younger people is not because they don't necessarily line them for the party, but more because we have political parties who are still moving in this ideology that you need to be a white man or a well affluent white woman to run for public office.
Valerie White
2:33:51
We're not speaking to the issues.
2:33:53
Right?
2:33:54
Exactly.
2:33:54
And so, again, and thank you.
2:33:58
You know, I don't wanna be laboring too long because, like and I'm going to.
2:34:01
The the I guess the concern is it or is this gonna change, right, speaking to the particular issues of the community of young people so that they feel that they can register for
Carl Weisbrod
2:34:16
a long party of no.
Valerie White
2:34:17
And that's just I'm just at this point, I'm not even as I'm saying, because that's my concern.
Cleo Acevedo
2:34:21
Yeah.
2:34:21
No.
Daniel Schnur
2:34:21
Thank you.
2:34:22
100.
Cleo Acevedo
2:34:22
And, I think sorry.
2:34:24
Not to take up more time, but I think this is why I emphasized the importance of the public finance, campaign.
2:34:30
Okay.
2:34:30
Right?
2:34:31
When you have people who are when you have a system where I, right, as a Bronx community board resident, as a resident of this district, right, right now we have city council district eight who is up for reelection because Diana Ayala has turned out.
2:34:47
Right?
2:34:48
I, my $20, can make much more of an impact in this city council campaign than a corporation giving thousands of dollars to an elect elected.
2:35:00
And that's the reason why we have young peoples not not that deeply invested in our parties because the Democratic Party has emphasized much more funding from corporations and big real estate boards rather than actually its people, which is why we introduced the public campaign before, and, actually, my organization took part in advocating for that.