Earlier this year, I started working at Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty through the Charles Koch Institute Fellowship Program, and because of this, I was to table with CCATDP’s Marc Hyden at Young Americans for Liberty’s national convention (YALCon 2017). While this was the 5th year in a row that CCATDP was a sponsor, at first, I wasn’t entirely sure what kind of reception we’d receive at a conference attended by so many of my conservative and libertarian peers, but my concerns were quickly assuaged.
Among the event’s speakers were nationally known leaders who are staunchly opposed to the death penalty, including Fox News legal analyst Judge Napolitano, Larry Reed of the Foundation for Economic Education, and former Libertarian Presidential candidate Austin Petersen. The convention also generally hosts Dr. Ron Paul who endorsed us a few years ago. All of which seemed to bode well for us at the conference.
The event began on July 26 in Reston, VA. As we tabled at the conference, hundreds of attendees shuffled into the convention hall and a steady stream of activists dropped by our booth. I had the chance to talk to a host of attendees about our organization and what we do, and I learned that many of the attendees were passionately opposed to the death penalty. In fact, there were so many YAL members opposed to capital punishment that I can’t even estimate the total tally of those who exclaimed their support for our mission. They shared their concerns, including their distrust of the government and the high stakes and costs associated with the death penalty. Others discussed how they have gradually changed their minds after speaking with CCATDP’s employees over the past few years at previous YAL conventions.
There were, however, some who were not immediately in agreement with our conclusions, but many of them quickly changed their death penalty views on the spot after speaking with us and learning about the death penalty’s failures. Meanwhile, others eagerly asked how to get involved and inquired as to how they could host us as speakers at their local chapters.
The fact that so many of the attendees were under 25 years old and believe that capital punishment ought to be repealed is very encouraging. Conservatives are revising their position on the death penalty, and millennials are a big reason for that change. Out of all age groups, millennials are least likely to support the death penalty, but this should be no surprise. Our formative political elections occurred in 2008, 2010, and 2012 when the burgeoning Tea Party movement was red-hot, the Ron Paul Presidential campaigns won the hearts of millions of young people, and faith in the government reached historic lows. I expect the death penalty to lose more and more support as these same young activists start occupying positions of political power.
It is clear from YALCon 2017 that the movement to abandon the death penalty is bright. It was an amazing and enjoyable experience that I believe portends the ultimate demise of the death penalty.
Regards,
Brian
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Brian Bensimon, Charles Koch Institute Communications Fellow
www.conservativesconcerned.org
info@conservativesconcerned.