University Democrats sent 20 delegates to the June 7-9 Texas Democratic Party’s State Convention in Houston, Texas. Held at the George R. Brown Convention Center and Hilton of America, these 20 University of Texas students witnessed six of their organization members get elected as delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

University Democrats is both the oldest and largest political organization at UT. Members of the organization work to advance progressive causes, campaign for community Democrats and promote other students. The organization is open to all Democratic students, faculty and staff who pay a 5 dollar annual membership fee and fill out an application.

“[Being elected to the Democratic National Convention] means representing young Latinos all over Texas on the national stage,” said University Democrats Historian Justin Perez. “It means giving a voice to students who usually don’t have one. It means that the Democratic Party cares about our future and recognizes that we should be involved in the shaping of the future that we will grow into.”

At the convention, Perez gave a presentation on behalf of the Texas Democratic Party’s Promesa Project. This project enables young Latinos to promise the party that they will vote Democrat and encourage those they know to do the same, Perez said.

“Latinos have the power to turn Texas blue and we will,” said Perez. “The Democratic Party is the party for Latinos. It is the party that fights for social justice and the party that insures that Latinos have a say in their future.”

Leslie Tisdale, Elizabeth Anderson, Alejandro Barrientos, Justin Perez, Huey Fischer, and André Treiber were the six students who gained spots at the convention. Fischer, President of University Democrats, was further elected to the State Democratic Executive Committee. To gain a spot, the students ran a campaign and faced-off against dozens of others who contested the seats.

“Being elected as a delegate means that Democrats actually care about how young people affect politics,” said Anderson. “I'm only 19 years old, but I get to represent Democrats on a national level. It's an amazing opportunity that I see as older delegates investing in the future of this party.”