Although he is not old enough to vote, 16-year-old Douglas High junior Aaron Sims has seen more political action than most, and he knows what he believes in.
"I've been a conservative as long as I can remember, since I knew the difference between the two sides," Sims said on Monday.
The youth's fascination with politics started in Lathrop, Calif., where his father was fire chief.
"He was the chief of the whole district, and he would go to board meetings and have lunch with the mayor, and I always wanted to tag along," he said. "I got real into local politics."
In 2000, Sims, then 8 years old, went door-to-door campaigning for George W. Bush. He did the same thing in 2004 and campaigned for Republicans in the 2006 midterms after his family moved to Nevada.
At age 14, he worked three months as an intern in Gov. Jim Gibbons' office. Later that year, he volunteered his support for early presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
"I got a lot of people to caucus for him," he said.
After Sen. John McCain won the primary, Sims gave a speech at the Republican state convention during a luncheon. He said members of the convention were divided, but his speech emphasized unity.
"The biggest thing (the Republicans) need to hurdle is the shift away from youth," he said. "Why did they lose last year? Because the Democrats got the youth before the Republicans."
Sims said he's never been a fan of the perception that the young don't know anything.
"These are the leaders of the future," he said. "If you look hard enough, you find a lot out there with strong opinions who want their voices known and want to make a difference. These are the people I want to reach out to."
Following his passion, Sims founded a new organization called Conservative Youth for Unity.
"I was thinking to have it at the high school," he said, "but I wanted it to be open to everybody, whether from private school or home school."
The group already has 30 members. Sims modeled the bylaws of the organization after the Republican party; age parameters were set at 15-25.
"The board can vote to include anyone else who wants to attend," said Sims, president of the board. "I want this to be an educational experience for those who want to be involved in politics. It's a great chance to learn about government and the electoral process."
While Sims hopes his club focuses on conservative ideas more than candidates, he still hopes it can play a role in upcoming elections. Sims himself will be old enough to vote in the 2010 midterms.
"I want it to be an asset during the midterm election but to grow and become an even greater asset in the next presidential election," he said.
Conservative Youth for Unity meets 2 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at the Douglas County Republican Headquarters, 1516 Highway 395, Suite G, in Gardnerville. Call 782-4467 for more information.
