We Believe
We embrace the mission and message of the Democratic party that anyone, from any walk of life, should have a fair shot at the American Dream.
We believe that cooperation is better than conflict, unity is better than division, empowerment is better than resentment, and bridges are better than walls.
Our Goals
ELECT DEMOCRATS
ADVOCATE FOR RURAL ISSUES
PROTECT THE VOTE
Our top priority is electing Democrats who share our values and will work hard to represent all of Orange County Virginia.
PROTECT THE VOTE
ADVOCATE FOR RURAL ISSUES
PROTECT THE VOTE
Voter education, voter registration and voter protection are key to the success of any democracy. We work to protect your right to vote.
ADVOCATE FOR RURAL ISSUES
ADVOCATE FOR RURAL ISSUES
ADVOCATE FOR RURAL ISSUES
Rural and small town Virginia voters matter! And their issues matter. Orange County Democrats work to ensure those issues are addressed by our elected officials and candidates for office.
Of Special Note
OCDC Monthly Meeting on August 9, 2025
Join us for our monthly meeting on Saturday, August 9 at 10am at the OCDC office. Come at 9:30am for coffee and conversation.
Program information to follow.
The ICE Factor - A community meeting
Thursday, July 17 was the 5th anniversary of the passing of Rep. John Lewis. Good Trouble Lives On was a national day of action to respond to the attacks on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration.
OCDC presented "Civil Liberties Crossroad: The ICE Factor" as a way to educate ourselves on the history of immigration in the country and the details and implications of the funding of a massive expansion of ICE in the recent Republican reconciliation bill.
Thank you to those who attended the program! And special thanks to our presenters, Denis Kaufman, Ellen Wessel and Sara Ratcliffe.
As promised, the slide deck is available to view as a pdf document on our Read This page.
Thank you! #NoKings Protest a Great Success
The right to peaceable assembly was fully exercised on Saturday, June 14, 2025 in front of our OCDC office - No Kings Day! We celebrated the 250th birthday of the US Army with the singing of Happy Birthday to kick off the event, and then spent two lively hours in community waving signs to share our opinions regarding the abuses of the Trump administration in these first 5 months. Thank you to all who joined us for this uplifting event. Click here to view a short video of images of the event -- and check our slide show below for even more highlights.
Operation Primary Postcard Power
Thank you to everyone who participated in our collective action to activate Democratic voters! Our postcard parties were well attended as we crafted messages to encourage our Democratic voters to participate in the primary on June 17th. We elected a terrific team for the November election!
On the Ballot for November!
Democratic Candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor & Attorney General
Our United Team
Working for All Virginians
Vote Blue in November!
Our Democratic House of Delegates Candidates
OCDC Blog
Subscribe to Our Blog
Thank you for your interest in our committee and in electing Democrats! Sign up for our blog posts here using your email. If you wish to volunteer and be added to our newsletter email distribution list for campaign news and event notices, please sign up as a volunteer in the section below.
We Welcome New Volunteers and Members
New volunteers, use our signup form here to be added to our mailing list for committee updates, our monthly e-newsletter and campaign notices. Please go to our membership page if you wish to join as a member of OCDC.
Our office in Orange is open by appointment, please get in touch with us by email to arrange a time to stop in at ocvadems@gmail.com.
Photo Gallery
OCDC members are active in the community, support our candidates and advocate for policies that reflect our values.
Enjoy these photos from 2025. and, below that, from 2023-2024 and 2018-22.
OCDC Photo Gallery 2025
#NoKings Rally in Orange - 6/14/25
OCDC PHOTO GALLERY 2023-24
Election Day 2024
OCDC Photo Gallery 2018-2022
Wilderness Crossing Development Updates
April 10, 2025
PEC reports that the Orange County Circuit Court judge accepted their amicus curiae brief in support of the plaintiffs, as well as another from partners in the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition. These briefs will now be part of the record the judge considers when he rules on whether the case should proceed to trial. The amicus brief argues that the public is entitled to a transparent process when our elected officials contemplate far-reaching land-use decisions, which can transform the region and the landscape.
While PEC does not expect to learn if the case will proceed to trial until early summer, the judge — in a nod to the attendees in the gallery — acknowledged the case had generated a great deal of public interest and that the concerns raised were important. He said he will carefully consider all the information in front of him and issue a reasoned, fair decision within the bounds of the law.
March 20, 2025
The first hearing was held at the Orange County courthouse to consider a request from the defendants to have the case dismissed. We are awaiting the judge's decision.
May 1, 2024
It was announced today that The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Wilderness Battlefield Area to their 2024 list of The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, due to the threat of development (from the Wilderness Crossing proposal) around the battlefield. This is notoriety that may help in the effort to push back on this development. You can read more here on the NTHP website.
April 23, 2024 - NEWS CONFERENCE ON MAY 1ST
The American Battlefield Trust sent out a notice that there will be a special announcement regarding the Wilderness Crossing development at the 1781 Wilderness Run Winery on May 1 at 10am. RSVP is requested - click here for more information.
November 17, 2023
The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) has received a partial response to their lawsuit against Orange County for FOIA violations. Orange County government has released copies of the Non-Disclosure Agreements signed in 2022 by OC staff and 4 members of the board of supervisors "for the benefit of Amazon, LLC." So if you suspected all along that the Wilderness Crossing development would include Amazon warehouses and/or data centers, it looks like you were right. Thanks to PEC for pursuing this on behalf of the citizens of Orange County.
Background
On May 24, 2023, the American Battlefield Trust, Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, Inc., Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, Inc., and several Orange County and Spotsylvania County residents filed a legal challenge to the recent approval by the Orange County Board of Supervisors of the rezoning of the the Wilderness Crossing property. The lawsuit cites several violations of state constitutional and statutory law and county zoning ordinance, including procedural errors, lack of required submittals and findings, and failure to comply with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, among other errors. You can read the filing here and a press release from the Piedmont Environmental Council here.