YDC President Maffei’s statement on the structure of the Young Democrats of Chicago

Chicago – The following is a statement from Young Democrats of Chicago President Arielle Maffei on the structure of the organization and how it fits into the larger Young Democrats of Illinois Family:

The Young Democrats of Chicago (“YDC”) is the chartered unit of the Young Democrats of Illinois (“YDI’’) for young Democrats who reside within the City of Chicago. Per YDI and Young Democrats of America bylaws, units must be chartered to be able to be recognized as official bodies of the organizations and furthermore allow their members to have access to the privileges of being associated with the statewide Young Democrats as well as the Young Democrats of America. Per YDI bylaws, Young Democrats of Chicago timely submitted all chartering documents to be recognized as an official chartered unit during the biennial YDI convention.

Chartering documents for the Young Democrats of Chicago consisted of bylaws, a signed letter by a Democratic Party Committeeperson, and a list of initial members and officers.   For quite some time, the City of Chicago has not contained a chartering unit that would allow young Democrats specifically residing in the City of Chicago to be actively involved in the Young Democrats of Illinois and Young Democrats of America. YDC fills that gap and has created another avenue for young Democrats from all backgrounds and from every part of the city to become active participants and build up a more inclusive, progressive, and activated Democratic Party.

Our belief is that there should be multiple ways that Young Democrats in Chicago can become connected to our party. We look forward to coexisting in the larger Chicago political ecosystem of organizations dedicated to building future leaders of our party. 

If you would like to learn more about the Young Democrats of Chicago, please join us for our kick-off event on Wednesday, September 29th. 

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