Miami-Dade’s newly elected Democratic chairman Shevrin "Shev" Jones wants to try a new approach to engaging voters this election cycle.
Jones says he has seen a lot of people at the county, state and national levels who are sick of hearing about politics.
That’s why he says the Miami-Dade Democratic Party is going to hire three new regional directors and between 20-30 organizers to help with voter registration — specifically, to go to uncommon places or where people don’t often get to talk to politicians.
“Let's go into some of these places where people don't expect us to come engage individuals to talk about politics,” said Jones. “... to show that we don't want to do politics as usual, we want to talk to you from the ground level. We want to talk to you not just as a voter, but as a human being.”
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Jones faces a daunting challenge to catch up to Republicans, who outnumber Democratic registered voters by 892,000, according to the latest state voter registration data. The numbers reflect a dramatic turn in Florida, which for decades was viewed as a swing state. Just prior to the 2020 presidential election, Democrats held a 117,000 edge over Republican registered voters.
The Miami Gardens native was chosen as the party’s next leader at a special election on April 26 to replace Robert Dempster, who was suspended two months ago by state Democratic chair Nikki Fried. She cited repeated violations of Florida’s party rules and bylaws as the reason for the suspension.
Jones was elected to the State Senate in 2022 and represents Florida’s 34th Senate District. Previously, he served in the Florida House for five years — and advocated for youth mentoring funding and transparency between communities and law enforcement.
He recently spoke with WLRN's Ammy Sanchez about his vision for the future of Florida's largest county Democratic organization and overcome the huge Republican advantage in registered voters. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.
WLRN: So why are you the one to lead the local party to victory?
JONES: Miami Dade County is ground zero of many of the failed policies of my Republican colleagues in Tallahassee. People can't afford their car insurance. People can't afford their property insurance, let alone trying to find a place to rent in Miami-Dade County. We have a teacher shortage. We have schools closing. We have flooded streets due to our neglect of wanting to have a real conversation about climate change and [its] effect on our own communities. So we absolutely have a problem. I believe that Miami-Dade can deliver for the state and for the nation. I ran because there's too much at stake in this election cycle for me just to sit back and watch. And I want other people to understand that there's too much at stake for us just to sit back and watch. And Miami-Dade, we have what it takes to be able to show America that one of the largest counties here within the state that we can deliver to get back to governing it to get back on track to what's needed in order for the people to actually live and be able to survive and provide for their families.
You'll be in the role until December when the party is set to hold the regular election for chair. But until then, what are your plans for the party?
We need to fill a voter registration gap, and in Miami-Dade County, we are working along with [the state party] in committing to a 20,000-person plus contribution to help fill the gap that we currently have in the state. As I come on board, I understand that in addition to this voter registration gap, I understand that we also are facing a voter engagement struggle because people are frustrated with politics because of what political leaders are saying and what people are seeing in their pockets and in their pocketbooks is just not adding up. And so basically, like I always say, the math just ain't mathing. And so I understand that I'm starting at a deficit and will only have a few months to help galvanize people not to just vote Democrat, but to vote for us to get back to governing. We have local elected officials who we should and will be engaging with because these local elected officials are the ones who are closest to the people. And we should utilize them as amplifiers and galvanizers of people to deliver the message of what President Biden has done, to deliver the message of what Democrats in Tallahassee tried to do in this legislative session.
How exactly do you plan to increase the party's fundraising and voter registration operations?
We're going to hire three regional directors … we're going to have to hire at least 20 to 30 organizers on the ground to help with voter registration, to go into places that are uncommon. We're going to have to go places where you won’t tend to find individuals who want to talk to [politicians], and there's nothing wrong with setting up shop not just at grocery stores, but possibly at liquor stores or at other areas where people don't tend to speak to anyone when it comes to politics. People think that there's this disconnect with politics because we want to go to the peachy-rosy places. No, let's go into some of these places where people don't expect us to come engage individuals to talk about politics. We want to talk to you not just as a voter, but as a human being. Within these seven months, I don't have a lot of time to deal with the infighting or anything of that nature. The only thing I have time to do is voter registration, engaging individuals back into the process, bringing our local leaders into the fold and ensuring that we deliver for Joe Biden in November.
What challenges would you say that you're up against?
Convincing people that we truly are the Big Tent Party. We can't say that we are a big tent party, but we have to show that we mean it. Including all voices means that every voice must count, even when there is a difference of opinion. And being a big tent party, of course, there's going to be disagreement. But we have to be willing to understand that the main goal and the main focus is for us to get back to governing. The main goal and the main focus is to show that we have always been the party of the people. Big tent party [means] that we come together to show how and what a unified message looks like when we deliver this to the people.
What would you say are some other things that you look forward to in this new role?
One thing I look forward to is beginning to meet some people who I've never met before in Miami Dade County, and I've already started doing that. There are amazing people in this county who really just want to do right. Since I've come on board, I have had local elected officials who have made it clear that I am excited to get back to work now that you're at the helm. I've had people who inboxed me on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook, and they're saying, how can I help? What can I do? People want to help. People want to move forward. People want to get their hands dirty, but the question is, are we, uh, are we allowing them that opportunity to do that? Are we giving them something to work towards? Are we giving them that hope that they need in order to participate in this thing that we call a democratic process? And we just can't wait for people to come to us. I want to go to the individuals. I want to go to the people to show them that we are the party.
