The Democratic Party is the party of youth. We won the youth vote in 2004; we won it again 2006. If only Americans under twenty five had been allowed to vote in the 2004 election, John Kerry would have swept the Electoral College, including the State of Mississippi.

It follows that we need to pay close attention to people like Dave Carlucci, the town clerk of Clarkstown.

Dave, twenty six years old, is the second-youngest elected official in New York State. When party strategists talk about farm teams for future runs for office, they're talking about people like him.

Future utility aside, a party that includes all generations within its decision-making apparatus also has a distinct advantage when it comes to formulating policy. Case in point: technology adoption. If there's one thing we know when we're trying to anticipate the means by which we're going to win elections in the future, it's that technology is going to change even further the way we interact with voters. For example, Dave Pollak, the new co-chair of the NYSDC, spear-headed a drive to use text messaging in the 2006 campaign, utilizing the principle of flash mobs in the service of electoral goals.

Dave Carlucci has a tool on his web site that lets you register to vote by text message. He has podcasts, for crying out loud. This is precisely what Democrats need to be doing: opening government up to its citizens through technology.

Watch this space. We'll be seeing more of Dave, and that's a good thing.

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