College Democrats
College Democrats is an organization located on several college campuses. Their main focus is to elect Democratic Party candidates and provide networking and leadership opportunities for student members. The chapters have served as a way for college students to connect with the Democratic Party and Democratic campaigns, and has produced many prominent liberal and progressive activists.
Many of these chapters are organized under the College Democrats of America, the official youth outreach arm of the Democratic National Committee, which claims over 100,000 college and university student members from across the United States. Other chapters are organized under the Young Democrats of America and its College Caucus.
Activities
Immediately leading up to election day, chapters are expected to participate in get out the vote activities, both on-campus and in surrounding communities.Other activities are not centrally determined, and thus vary from chapter to chapter. Typical activities might include inviting guest speakers to campus, organizing issue advocacy and lobbying efforts, and arranging service activities for members to attend.
College Democrats chapters also often organize social events and other recruitment activities.
During the election season, campus chapters typically partake in campaign work. These efforts generally include voter registration drives and to register youth voters that have just gained voter eligibility. They also include providing youth manpower to campaigns for canvassing and phone banks. During presidential election years, chapters have organized proxy debates and run mock elections.