Digital Politics with Karen Jagoda: Recent Episodes
Karen jagoda
Digital Politics with Karen Jagoda is a non-partisan podcast featuring thought leaders and industry pioneers with insights about innovative approaches to political campaigns, voter engagement, mobilization, fundraising, persuasion, and GOTV. Topics include the power of mobile devices, leveraging social networks, message testing and targeting, cross-media advertising, grassroots organizing, and big data.
Ramon Perez, Executive Director of the Digital Democracy Project, describes the use of a secure mobile voting app that enables verified voters to provide real-time feedback to legislators, showing constituent preferences on bills. This platform leverages AI to summarize complex legislation into accessible language and provides updates on voting records, creating accountability and transparency. This mobile voting technology was originally designed for military use and has been adapted for digital civic engagement.
We talk about
- Value of providing citizens continuous opportunities to influence government policy decisions
- Harvesting real-time polling data from verified constituents about pending legislation
- How technology is bridging the gap between constituents and elected officials
- Need to identify voter preferences that transcend two-party divisions
#DigitalDemocracyProject #CampaignTech #MobileVoting #CivicEngagment
DigitalDemocracyProject.org
Zach Adams, Director of Client Partnerships for Politics and Public Affairs at VDX.tv, shines a light on the critical distinctions between advertising and marketing in political and advocacy campaigns and how these campaigns are still, for the most part, one-way conversations. Traditional broadcast TV ads may build name awareness but are not effective for building relationships with voters, gathering real-time feedback, or motivating them to take action. A diversified media strategy that reaches voters across multiple digital and traditional channels can be effective in strengthening emotional connections, tailoring messages to voter engagement levels, and spending campaign resources more effectively.
We talk about:
- Differences between advertising and marketing in politics
- What drives brand loyalty of consumers and voters
- What is the brand and lessons learned from MAGA
- Strategic advantages of real-time feedback from interactive digital engagements
#VDXTV #PoliticalAdvertising #PoliticalMarketing #PoliticalCampaigns #DigitalVoterOutreach #VoterEngagement #PoliticalBranding #AIinPolitics #ProgrammaticAds #CampaignStrategy
VDX.tv
Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, discusses the BISC's recently released 2026 Defending Direct Democracy Report, which highlights that the seemingly isolated policy fights driving ballot initiatives are, in fact, part of a broader authoritarian playbook. Ballot initiatives have become very popular as a way to address genuine public priorities beyond partisan divides but are seen by many as a threat to established political power.
We talk about:
- Using ballot initiatives to restrict rights
- How the ballot initiative process is being undermined through signature requirement changes, confusing language, and raising thresholds for passage
- Cross-partisan appeal of ballot initiatives
- Strengthening direct democracy
#BallotInitiativeStrategyCenter #BISC #BallotInitiatives #Organizing #LocalOrganizers
Defending Direct Democracy: Attacks on the Ballot Measure Process and the Rise of Authoritarianism
Ballot.org
Chad Peace is the legal advisor to the Independent Voter Project and partner at Peace and Shea LLP with experience unlocking choke points in the primary election process. He highlights the barriers that the increasing number of independent and third-party voters and candidates face. Some of the advantages of non-partisan primaries include increasing voter engagement and turnout, and fostering more robust competition among candidates.
We talk about:
- Lessons from the California top-two non-partisan primary system
- Why closed primaries, like in New York, produce minimal voter turnout
- Structural barriers that reinforce the two-party system
- Why election reform must include treating all voters and candidates equally, regardless of party affiliation
#IndependentVoterProject #IndependentVoters #OpenPrimaries #NonPartisanPrimaries #ElectionReform #VoterRIghts #NonPartisanReform #MoreChoiceVoting #IVP #PrimaryReform #VoterEngagement #LetAllVotersVote #TopTwoPrimary
IndependentVoterProject.org
Ryan Davis, CEO of People First highlights how influencers and content creators have become an increasingly important component of a political campaign strategy. The value of an influencer's trusted voice is becoming even more relevant as voters are bombarded with AI-generated ads and content. Transparency and disclosure of paid influencer relationships strengthen credibility and are essential for ensuring compliance with local legal requirements and broader community standards.
We talk about:
- Prioritizing authenticity and why real people stand out compared to AI-generated content
- Effectiveness of content creators and building modular content
- Role of Influencers as a core media channel
- When covering up partnerships with influencers becomes the story
#PeopleFirst #PoliticalStrategy #DigitalCampaigns #InfluencerMarketing #CivicEngagement #GOTV #CampaignTech #MediaMix
PeopleFirst.cc
Joseph S. Harrington, CPU, an independent business researcher and writer specializing in property/casualty insurance, joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the real costs of gun violence and who is most likely to use a gun for violence. Joseph explains that most gun deaths are suicides, and most shootings are intentional, which makes gun owners uninsurable. This leaves the victims of gun violence to shoulder the burden of a shooting. A focus on the gun sellers is a possible path to protect gun rights, better manage safety programs, and provide compensation to victims.
Deepak and Joseph talk about
- Why traditional liability insurance is not a workable solution for gun violence
- How gun manufacturers and dealers are shielded from liability
- Costs of violence include medical care, rehabilitation, and societal costs
- Creating financial incentives for the gun industry to engage in gun safety and monitoring
#TheDemLabs #StateTreasurers #PoliticalActivism #Democracy #Accountability #GunRights #GunControl #GunViolence #GunPolicy #CampaignStrategy #PublicSafety #RIFLAct #Liability
TheDemocracyLabs.org
Andrew Tavani, EVP Data at Aristotle, discusses the unprecedented volatility of mid-census redistricting and how Aristotle can quickly update voter files with new district lines, enabling campaigns to target voters accurately. Changes to the Voting Rights Act have resulted in a lack of ethnic data in voter files, adding to the challenge of targeting specific voter demographics. The emerging role of AI in campaign analytics, trends in early voting, and court decisions on gerrymandered districts make the 2026 midterm election highly unpredictable.
We talk about:
- Keeping voter files accurate in a time of rapid changes in district lines that are often challenged in court
- Impact of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down part of the Voting Rights Act giving states more autonomy not to include ethnicity data in voter files
- Using AI to provide predictive models of voters in specific districts
- How campaign strategies have evolved from moving to the center for general elections to a focus on mobilizing the base #Aristotle #PoliticalData #Redistricting #Gerrymandering #VoterFile #EarlyVoting #AIinPolitics #EthnicTargeting #CampaignStrategy #DigitalPolitics #AristotleData
Aristotle.com
Tom Joseph is the Treasurer of America's Main Street Party and is intent on counteracting gerrymandering. Tom describes a new system for nominating political candidates through a multi-round, app-based contest that operates separately from the traditional public primary system. The goal is to produce more popular, centrist candidates by making them accountable to constituents rather than chosen by party leadership and wealthy donors.
We talk about:
- Driving constituent endorsements based on a candidate's position on key issues
- Creating an election app where candidates compete over five rounds, advancing based on endorsements rather than financial contributions
- Designing a model that avoids traditional candidate ads and rallies during the nomination phase
- Need to leverage voters from minority populations in heavily gerrymandered districts to help select more moderate nominees
#AmericasMainStreetParty #PoliticalTech #CampaignInnovation #Gerrymandering #DigitalOrganizing #PrimaryReform #CivicTech #Elections
MainStreetParty.org
Andrea Miller, Center for Common Ground, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the history and modern tactics of voter suppression and gerrymandering targeting southern Black voters in what has historically been called the Southern Black Belt. One strategy is to pack all Black voters into one district, and another is to crack the community into smaller pieces to diminish their influence. Andrea suggests that the Republican tactic of cracking Black districts could backfire by creating multiple competitive districts in 2026.
Deepak and Andrea talk about:
- Current strength of southern Black voters
- Voter suppression tactics that disproportionately impact rural Black residents
- How gerrymandering has the potential to spread angry, motivated Black voters across several districts, making all of them competitive for Democrats
- Why State-level elections are the critical battleground for fighting gerrymandering
#CTR4CMNGround #TheDemLabs #CenterForCommonGround #VoterSuppression #Gerrymandering #BlackBeltPower #StateLegislatures #DownBallot #GOTV #Redistricting #DemocracyStrategy #StatePower #SouthernStrategy #VotingRights #ElectoralStrategy #ProtectTheVote #TurnoutMatters #Election2026
CenterforCommonGround.org
TheDemLabs.org
Lauren Windsor, investigative journalist, partner in Democracy Partners, and the Executive Director of American Family Voices, joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to discuss state treasurers, particularly GOP members of the State Financial Officers Foundation, who wield significant power to influence state policies on climate change, diversity, LGBTQ+ rights, and access to women's healthcare. State budgets are often intentionally complex to discourage public scrutiny and can involve hundreds of millions or billions of dollars in spending on politically motivated projects.
The job of the investigative reporter is to shine a light on the coordination of efforts across states and reveal conflicts of interest and misuse of authority. A recent story by Lauren is about apparent pay-to-play in Alaska, suggesting former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum helped Governor Mike Dunleavy advance LNG pipeline and hyperscale data center initiatives using taxpayer rainy-day funds.
Deepak and Lauren talk about
- Exposing bad actors in the right-wing networks fighting against climate and diversity initiatives
- Efforts of state financial officers run by conservative governors to coordinate on policy and model bills
- Conflict of interest in Alaska of former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum
- Why voters need to pay attention to who is running for state treasurer
#LAWindsor #TheDemLabs #StateTreasurers #VoterSuppression #VoterEngagement #ProgressiveActivism #CivicEngagement #PoliticalActivism #DemocracyInAction #Election2026 #AlaskaPolitics #AdamCrum #Alaska #PublicFinance #ESG #AntiESG #ClimateRisk #GoodGovernance #Corruption #SFOF #LeonardLeo #LNG #Arctic #Democracy #Accountability
AmericanFamilyVoices.org
TheDemocracyLabs.org
Lauren Kunis, President and CEO of VoterRiders, joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the wave of new and stricter voter ID laws sweeping the country. She shares her personal story and how VoteRiders has played an increasingly crucial role in building a more informed and active electorate. Lauren points out that a significant number of Americans lack proper identification, and their mission is to provide free assistance to help citizens obtain the necessary documents to vote, which are also often required to access housing, banking, and employment.
Deepak and Lauren talk about
- Voter suppression tactics to confuse and cheat
- Restrictive voter ID laws and the range of variations across states
- Helping voters get up-to-date government-issued photo IDs
- Why voting rights protect all other rights
#VoteRiders #TheDemLabs #VoterID #VoterSuppression #VoterEngagement #GrassrootsActivism #BallotAccess #CampaignStrategy #ProgressiveActivism #CivicEngagement #GOTV #GetOutTheVote #PoliticalActivism #DemocracyInAction #VoterOutreach #DemocracyMatters #ElectionSecurity #ElectionIntegrity #Election2026
VoteRiders.org
TheDemocracyLabs.org
Daniel Laurison is a Professor of Sociology at Swarthmore College who focuses on class, social mobility, and racial inequality in US politics. He has recently released a report titled "The Political Disconnect: Working-Class and Low-Income People On What Politics Means to Them and How They Might be Mobilized." These citizens are not abstaining from voting because they are uninformed or apathetic. Rather, they think their vote does not matter and that politics is a game for wealthy elites.
We talk about:
- Methodology of this qualitative study on political participation
- How voters perceive the connection between voting and tangible improvements in their lives
- Recommendations for politicians to engage in genuine two-way conversations with communities outside of election season
- Need to increase the number of working-class and low-income people in all aspects of politics, including working on campaigns, running for office, and local organizing
#DanielLaurison #CampaignStrategy #PoliticalEngagement #WorkingClassVoters #LowIncomeVoters #Nonvoters #RelationalOrganizing #FieldStrategy #VoterContact #PoliticalInclusion #RepresentationMatters #ClassInPolitics #CivicEngagement #DigitalPolitics #CampaignProfessionals
Strengthening Political Engagement
Daniel Laurison
Tom Carroll, Co-Founder and CEO of Convos, describes their AI-powered platform for political texting that facilitates, at scale, personalized, two-way conversations between campaigns and voters. This is a significant shift from traditional one-way broadcasting of political texts and ads and can lead to higher engagement and more meaningful actions. Creating a conversational text environment allows voters to ask questions and receive personalized responses, while also providing an opportunity to take the pulse of a targeted group of constituents.
We talk about:
-
- Why actively ask voters to respond to text messages from a campaign
- Relevant metrics to determine the success of a text campaign
- Creating the AI knowledge base to provide accurate and controlled information to ensure message consistency
- Avoiding voter fatigue
#Convos #Pubsent #DigitalPolitics #CampaignTech #VoterEngagement #AI #PoliticalCampaigns #TextMessaging #CampaignStrategy #ElectionTech #VoterOutreach #PoliticalInnovation #CampaignManagement #DigitalCampaigns #Fundraising
Convos.ai
Howard Franklin, CEO of Ohio River South, joins me to shine light on the evolving political, economic, and demographic landscape of the American South. The question is how these shifts have changed the electorate and created opportunities for a new wave of political candidates. The most effective ways to reach Southern voters still include traditional in-person engagement alongside digital outreach to reach urban, suburban, and rural communities.
Howard and I talk about
- Outdated historical perspectives about Southern voters
- Where Southern voters live and why people are moving to the region
- Strategies for reaching an increasingly diverse and younger population of voters
- The continued importance of retail politics and opportunities for authentic interactions with candidates
#OhioRiverSouth #HowardFranklin #SouthernVoters #PoliticalStrategy #CampaignManagement #SouthernPolitics #VoterOutreach #ElectionStrategy #PoliticalConsulting #Demographics #DigitalPolitics #Election2026
OhioRiverSouth.com
Xena Ni, Co-Founder of the Trestle Collaborative joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the world of civic technologists and the need to help progressive organizations and campaigns to use technology safely and effectively. She contrasts the resources and mandates of commercial tech with those of the political and non-profit sectors. The mission of Trestle is to provide resources and support to leverage technology, build a strong campaign infrastructure, and protect against cyberattacks.
Deepak and Xena talk about
- Motivation for entering civic tech from Silicon Valley success
- Using free and low-cost digital technology as an amplifier
- Overcoming the severe underfunding of technology by campaigns and advocacy groups
- Security and campaign tech
#TrestleCollaborative #TheDemLabs #CivicTech #CampaignTechnology #VoterEngagement #GrassrootsActivism #ProgressiveActivism #CivicEngagement #GOTV #GetOutTheVote #PoliticalActivism #DemocracyInAction #VoterOutreach #DemocracyMatters #ElectionSecurity #ElectionIntegrity #ProgressivePolitics #CampaignManagement
Trestle.us
TheDemocracyLabs.org
Josh Justice, CEO of Peerly, focuses on the evolving role of text messaging in political campaigns, particularly the shift from mobile optimization to a mobile-first communication strategy. The dominance of texting and reliance on small screens have driven the shift from simple SMS to text messaging with full HD and 4K video, and campaigns are thinking about content and advertising in new ways. Using AI responsibly builds in efficiency and scalability to target and engage more voters.
Josh and I talk about:
- How text messages using video in motion integrated with AI tools offer a highly targeted, cost-effective way to deliver campaign messages compared to traditional advertising
- Avoiding text message slop
- Opportunities for personalized interactive mobile communication to drive engagement and turnout
- Using AI to process inbound text message responses, enabling sentiment analysis, and simultaneously canvassing large numbers of voters
#Peerly #VideoInMotion #CampaignTech #PoliticalInnovation #DigitalOutreach #VoterEngagement #MobileStategy #AI #PoliticalCampaigns #VideoTexting #MobilePolitics #CampaignStrategy #PeerToPeerTexting #DigitalCampaigns #PoliticalTech #CampaignInnovation
Peerly.com
Adam Ditch Kurtz, a Democrat, is running for governor of Tennessee in a race with 4 candidates competing in the August Democratic primary. A career musician, Ditch is building a grassroots campaign informed by his live performance experience and long-term use of social media to communicate authentically and respond rapidly to voters. He outlines his strategies for reaching rural and working-class voters and engaging the established political machine.
We talk about
- The current political climate and appeal of an outsider running for public office
- Using social media to build an authentic personal brand and connect directly with an audience
- Most effective tools for reaching rural and working-class voters across Tennessee
- Breaking through voter apathy and distrust of traditional politicians
#Ditch4Governor #Ditch4Gov #Ditch26 #ImPeople #DitchDiggers #WhoDoesThisHelp #TennesseePolitics #GrassrootsCampaign #AuthenticLeadership #MusicianInPolitics #TennesseeGovernor #DemocraticPrimary #PoliticalInnovation #VoterEngagement #SocialMediaPolitics #TennesseeVoters
Ditch4Governor.com
Tomas Garduno, organizer and activist, joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the power of the working class and what tools are necessary to organize and mobilize this diverse cohort. After 25 years of political experience, Tomas has written the Fundamentals of Electoral Organizing to support this community and encourage more people to get involved. He points out that the electoral arena offers a unique opportunity for the working class to leverage its numerical strength against those with extreme wealth.
Deepak and Tomas talk about
- Need to overcome the artificial divisions of party and identify politics to unite people around shared material interests like housing, food access, and healthcare
- Primary obstacles to working-class power
- Who can be an organizer
- Practical skills for organizing communities for action
#FundamentalsofElectoralOrganizing #TheDemLabs #ProtectingDemocracy #VoterEngagement #Democracy #WorkingClass #GrassrootsActivism #GrassrootsOrganizing #Organizing #Activism #VoterTurnout #CivicEngagement #GOTV #GetOutTheVote #PoliticalActivism #DemocracyInAction #DemocracyMatters #ProtecttheVote #ElectionSecurity #CommunityOrganizing #PoliticalEducation #SocialChange
FundamentalsofElectoralOrganizing.org
TheDemocracyLabs.org
Stephen Schear, activist and billboard expert, joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to discuss a strategy to penetrate the right-wing propaganda machine by placing billboards with concise, visually powerful, and often negative messages in purple rural areas. Stephen details the logistics of creating, funding, and placing these kinds of billboards, emphasizing their cost-effectiveness.
Deepak and Stephen talk about
- Why billboards are persuasive in rural communities
- Media habits of voters who believe false claims
- Collaborating with local county Democratic parties to target persuadable voters
- The value of negative advertising and ridicule in exposing political lies
#PoliticalBillboards #TheDemLabs #VoterEngagement #GrassrootsActivism #ProgressiveActivism #VoterTurnout #PoliticalAdvertising #RuralOutreach #PoliticalMessaging #CivicEngagement #GOTV #GetOutTheVote #PoliticalActivism #DemocracyInAction #VoterSuppression #VoterOutreach #DemocracyMatters
steveschear@gmail.com
TheDemocracyLabs.org
Michael McNulty, Policy Director at Issue One, joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to discuss fixing democracy through campaign finance reform, election protection, big tech accountability, and defending the constitutional powers of Congress from executive overreach. The SAVE Act and Save America Act are identified as partisan attempts to create significant barriers to voting based on a false narrative of widespread voter fraud.
Deepak and Michael talk about
- Lessons learned from international work observing authoritarian tactics to undermine elections
- Coordinated efforts underway to rewrite election laws and install loyalists in key government positions
- Details of the SAVE Act and Save America Act and how they are being presented
- Action that can be taken to protect democracy and combat voter suppression and disinformation
#IssueOne #TheDemLabs #ProtectingDemocracy #VoterEngagement #Democracy #GrassrootsActivism #VoterTurnout #CivicEngagement #GOTV #GetOutTheVote #PoliticalActivism #DemocracyInAction #SAVEAct #SaveAmericaAct #ElectionIntegrity #VoterSuppression #DemocracyMatters #ProtecttheVote #ElectionSecurity
IssueOne.org
TheDemocracyLabs.org
Chris Nolan, Founder of Spot-On, points out that political consultants often overlook local news sites in favor of national sites with large audiences and programmatic advertising capabilities. Local news sites offer highly effective geographic targeting and audiences engaged in current events and their communities. With shifting loyalties to political parties and a move towards issue-based decisions, local news publishers have an opportunity to play a larger role in down-ballot races.
We talk about:
- Why direct ad buys on local news sites can be more effective and financially smart for reaching voters in specific districts than complex targeting campaigns based on broad data analytics
- Engagement level on local news sites and their newsletters
- History of news organizations moving to a digital environment
- The Spot-On Pinpoint Persuasion Platform
#PinpointPersuasionPlatform #PoliticalAdvertising #LocalMedia #LocalNews #CivicEngagement #VoterOutreach #MediaBuyers #PoliticalTech #CampaignStrategy #TargetingVoters #HyperLocalMarketing
spot-on.com
Pinpoint Persuasion Platform
Erin Miller, Founder of Cartoons for Democracy, joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to discuss using postcards to enable people who can't canvass due to age, location, or time constraints to support campaigns. A political cartoon on one side of a postcard with a handwritten note is an eye-catching way to communicate a message quickly and humorously to a broad audience, and it is proving effective at getting attention from voters.
Deepak and Erin talk about
- Why postcarding is a crucial tool for activism and complementary to other tactics
- Finding ways to overcome digital disinformation
- Role of the Campaign Postcard Captain
- How cartoons and humor can bypass literacy and attention span barriers to plant a seed about an idea
#CartoonsForDemocracy #TheDemLabs #PostcardCampaign #VoterEngagement #Democracy #PoliticalCartoons #GrassrootsActivism #VoterTurnout #Postcarding #CivicEngagement #GOTV #GetOutTheVote #PoliticalActivism #DemocracyInAction
CartoonsforDemocracy.org
TheDemocracyLabs.org
Caroline Sanchez-Avakian, Strategic Communications Director at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, BISC, offers advice to nonprofits on effectively managing their communications and earned media strategies. The media environment continues to change, requiring nonprofits to tell authentic, clear, and concise stories about complex topics that fit into a larger narrative.
We talk about:
- The need to move beyond episodic campaign-based thinking to building a comprehensive ongoing narrative
- Connecting policy to real-world community impact is essential to getting the attention of reporters
- Creating succinct and visually engaging videos, infographics, and bullet points
- Focusing on reaching an engaged, invested community rather than attempting to go viral with a message
#BallotInitiativeStrategyCenter #BISC #BallotInitiatives #Nonprofits #EarnedMedia #MediaStrategy #CommunityEngagement #DigitalStrategy #PoliticalCommunications
Ballot.org
Andrea Miller, Center for Common Ground, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to highlight the strategy behind the effort to get out the vote in the Virginia special election, where voters will decide on a proposal to redraw the state's congressional district maps.
Deepak and Andrea talk about:
- Potential impact of the proposed Virginia congressional map
- Tactics to reach the 675,000 Black voters in Virginia
- Importance of postcards to effectively reach older, poorer, and rural voters who may not have reliable access to the internet
- Building trust and demonstrating that civic engagement can lead to tangible changes
@CTR4CMNGround #VASpecialElection #GOTV @TheDemLabs #Redistricting
CenterforCommonGround.org
TheDemLabs.org
Anne-christine d'Adesky, journalist and Founder of Resisting Project 2025, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the financial and ideological motivations behind the Trump administration's policy to seize Venezuela and Greenland for oil and rare earth minerals.
Deepak and Anne-christine talk about:
- How Project 2025 is the instructional guide for autocratic takeovers
- Who benefits from actions against Venezuela and Greenland
- Moves to counter China's dominance over the supply chain of rare earth minerals
- The pursuit of a Christian fundamentalist agenda
#TheDemLabs #ResistingProject2025 #Protests #ResistancetoAutocracy #Autocrats #Resistance #Democracy #CivicEngagement #SocialMovements #PoliticalAction
Resisting Project 2025
TheDemLabs.org
Patrice, a political commentator, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about the need to write anonymously to be able to maintain his freedom of expression without jeopardizing his corporate career or putting his family at risk. His aims to show that modern political tactics are not new but part of a well-established historical pattern with predictable results. The use of first-person narratives and fictional characters is proving effective in attracting a growing international audience to his Substack Open Letters by Mersault.
Deepak and Patrice talk about:
- The need for independent writers to counter disinformation
- The long history of the demonization of opponents
- Using humor, satire, and an entertaining approach to make sharp political critiques more effective
- Educating readers to fight disinformation
#TheDemLabs #PoliticalWriting #Substack #AnonymousJournalism #PoliticalAnalysis #Democracy #GlobalReaders #HistoricalContext #PoliticalCommentary #DigitalActivism #IndependentMedia #PoliticalEducation #ResistanceWriting
Open Letters by Mersault on Substack
TheDemLabs.org
Lauren Windsor, political journalist and documentarian, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about gonzo journalism and the need to report on a story with integrity and commitment to the truth. She draws a sharp distinction between her work and that of people who use deceptive tactics to appeal to less media-savvy audiences and create a false narrative.
Deepak and Lauren talk about:
- The value of undercover reporting to hold politicians accountable
- Rules of the road for activist journalists
- Advice for victims of deceptive video campaigns
- Lauren's documentary Gonzo for Democracy
#TheDemLabs #Journalism #EconomicJustice #SocialJustice #GonzoforDemocracy#GonzoJournalism #ElectionIntegrity #PoliticalJournalism #MediaLiteracy #Democracy #Accountability #Disinformation #DocumentaryFilm
theundercurrent.tv
TheDemLabs.org
Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, shines a light on how free and low-cost apps can simplify political intrigue and complex social issues and be used to educate and motivate. Visualization tools for relationship mapping, accountability mapping, and crowdsourcing increase civic engagement, hold elected officials accountable, and counter disinformation and conspiracy theories.
Deepak and I talk about:
- Relationship mapping tools such as Kumu.io which are effective for exposing hidden financial and personal connections between individuals and organizations
- Accountability maps from Esri that serve to directly connect decisions of elected officials to tangible consequences and outcomes in their districts
- Crowdsourcing apps like Padlet which is a way to engage individuals in real-time information gathering and mobilization allowing for rapid response and collective documentation of events
#TheDemLabs #PoliticalAccountability #DataVisualization #CivicEngagement #PoliticalTransparency #SocialJustice #VotingRights #CitizenJournalism #PoliticalData #CommunityOrganizing #Kumuio #Esri #Padlet
TheDemLabs.org
Pat LaMarche, broadcaster, journalist, advocate, and founder of the Homeless Remembrance Blanket project, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Pat uses her journalism skills to address the root causes of mental health disorders, homelessness, and substance abuse, to inform and drive change in public policy.
Deepak and Pat talk about:
- The source of her dedication to writing about poverty and homelessness
- The lack of empathy for the poor and the need to translate complex information into stories that inform a general audience
- What can be done to address the underlying issues of homelessness
- The potential for communities to make a difference
#TheDemLabs #MemorialBlanket #Homelessness #Poverty #PovertyAwareness #Journalism #EconomicJustice #Affordability #SocialJustice #OrganizingMatters #FoodInsecurity #MentalHealth #SubstanceAbuse #SocialImpact #VoicefortheVoiceless
MemorialBlanket.org
TheDemLabs.org
Bradley Tusk is a political strategist, venture capitalist, philanthropist, podcaster, and author with a mission to promote and implement mobile voting in US elections. He points out that the most effective way to combat low voter turnout is to make it easier for people to vote and find out information about candidates and ballot initiatives. The Tusk Foundation has developed an open-source mobile voting platform that addresses security, authentication, and auditability, and it is being rolled out in 2026 in the US, starting with a local election in Anchorage, Alaska.
We talk about:
- Increasing voter turnout to address political extremism by making politicians accountable to a more representative electorate
- Who benefits from low voter turnout, and why they might not support mobile voting
- How mobile voting drives cost savings, timeliness of results, and accessibility
- The need to give voters choices about how and when they can vote, including in-person and by mail, but also using the convenience of their mobile device
#BradleyTusk #TuskFoundation #MobileVoting #Democracy #VoterEngagement #CivicTech #DigitalDemocracy #VotingRights #ElectionSecurity #PoliticalInnovation #TechForGood #DemocracyMatters
BradleyTusk.com
Author of Vote with Your Phone: Why Mobile Voting is Our Final Shot at Saving
Saru Jayaraman, long-time activist and leader of One Fair Wage, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the historical origins of the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers in the US and the power of that community to drive higher wages. The movement has now expanded beyond tipped workers to a broader coalition fighting for a living wage for all. Saru emphasizes that any political platform that focuses on affordability must also include raising wages to be effective.
Deepak and Saru talk about:
- Organizing restaurant workers dating back to the response to 9/11
- How COVID empowered restaurant workers to demand higher wages
- The composition of the workforce most impacted by low minimum wages
- Why addressing affordability requires policies that drive living wages in more states
#TheDemLabs #OneFairWage #FairWage #LivingWage #RestaurantWorkers #LaborRights #EconomicJustice #Affordability #WorkersRights #TippingCulture #SocialJustice #OrganizingMatters #DigitalPolitics
OneFairWage.org
TheDemLabs.org
Javan Van Gronigen, Founder of Donately considers 2025 as a year of testing the water for peer-to-peer and crowdfunding for political and advocacy campaigns. AI is enabling organizations to create and deploy fundraising content more quickly and target specific audiences. Increasingly, digital tools are showing effectiveness for all donor levels, whether turning a small-dollar donor into a recurring one or engaging a major supporter.
We talk about
- Digital outreach to mobile-first donors
- Common mistakes on donation pages, including overly complicated forms
- Value of fundraising appeals tied to rapid response to current events
- Need to create compelling stories about real people to motivate donors
#Donately #DigitalStrategy #OnlineGiving #NonprofitMarketing #DataDrivenNonprofits #DigitalFundraising #NonprofitTech #DonorEngagement #AIForGood #MobileFirstFundraising #AdvocacyTech #SocialImpactTech #StorytellingForChange
Donately.com
John Fitch, The Fitch Law Firm, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the importance of victims reporting sexual abuse not only for their own justice but to break the cycle and prevent perpetrators from harming others. John warns that delayed reporting can lead to the loss of essential physical evidence, making the case harder to pursue.
Deepak and John talk about:
- The staggering widespread prevalence of sexual abuse in small towns to big metropolitan cities
- Behavior of sexual predators
- Lifelong trauma victims endure
- Challenges victims face in seeking justice
#TheDemLabs #FitchLawFirm #SexAbuse #Lawyer #Ohio #NewYork #SexualAbuseSurvivors #Justice #LegalAdvocacy #BreakTheSilence #ChildProtection #LegalRights #SexualAbuseAwareness #LegalSupport #EpsteinFiles
JohnFitch.com
TheDemLabs.org
Behdad Jamshidi is the Founder of CJAM The Marketing Connector, which has vetted over 1,000 marketing agencies to identify those most qualified to deliver on their promises. The idea of a single agency handling all political and advocacy campaign needs is no longer realistic, as there are an increasing number of channels to reach voters and supporters.
We talk about:
- The vast majority of agencies are execution focused while clients often expect high-level strategic thinking
- Red flags of agencies noted during the vetting process and from their work with clients
- The need for constant testing and adjustment to messages in this rapid response environment
- If a marketing firm is not using AI, it is falling behind the competition
#CJAMMarketing #PolitcalCampaigns #Advocacy #MarketingAgencies #DigitalPolitics #CampaignStrategy #PoliticalMarketing #MarketingROI #DigitalStrategy #CampaignManagement #PoliticalConsulting #MarketingPartners #ElectionMarketing
CJAMMarketing.com
Ivan Pardo, Founder of Solidarity Tech used his organizing platform to successfully manage the over 100,000 volunteers for the campaign of Zohran Mamdani for Mayor of New York. This platform was originally designed to be multilingual from its inception to organize non-English-speaking rideshare drivers. While technology was key to the Mamdani success, the authenticity of the candidate and message discipline were key to connecting with volunteers and voters.
We talk about:
- Deep organizing at scale focusing on getting volunteers to commit and show up for shifts, re-engage and recruit their friends
- Converting social media engagement into volunteer sign-ups
- Why multilingual capabilities are essential for reaching diverse communities
- Bridging online enthusiasm with offline action
#ZohranMamdani #ZohranforNYC #CRM #LaborOrganizing #CampaignVolunteers #GrassrootsTech #PoliticalInnovation #CommunityOrganizing #CivicTech #Democracy #VolunteerManagement #PoliticalCampaigns #NYC #SocialImpact #TechForGood
Solidarity.tech
Nicole Dunger, Vice President of Growth, and Ryan Davis, CEO of People First, highlight the value of integrating influencer content into paid media strategies, a practice becoming more common in the political and advocacy space. The use of micro-influencers is key for state and local races, and the paid amplification can promote authentic voices to hard-to-reach voters. Campaigns are planning their influencer strategies earlier in the campaign cycle and effectively using creator content to inform messaging to a broader audience.
We talk about:
- The common practice of commercial brands to use creator content in paid advertising
- Why micro-influencers with 5,000-50,000 followers are the sweet spot for congressional races
- Measuring ROI from influencer campaigns
- Learning to cede creative control to influencers, trusting them to know how best to communicate to their followers
#PeopleFirst #Influencers #InfluencerCampaigns #InfluencerMarketing #PoliticalCampaigns #DigitalCampaigns #VoterOutreach #Election2026
peoplefirst.cc
Josh Justice, CEO of Peerly, highlights the new Video in Motion technology, an evolution of their previous HD video texting service. This next-generation tool allows for sending 4K high-resolution video to voters' phones via text message, bypassing the limitations of MMS protocols. This is a direct-to-voter messaging model that Josh argues is superior to traditional OTT and CTV advertising because it delivers a measurable interactive experience directly to voters.
Josh and I talk about:
- The integration of AI for video captions and thumbnails using AMP AI to handle replies that text campaigns generate
- The benefits of delivering messages directly to a voter's phone versus paid advertising
- The value of the robust real-time metrics tracking 64 different points of engagement
- Need for campaigns to take a mobile-first strategy to meet voters where they are in motion and not just sitting in front of a screen
#Peerly #VideoInMotion #CampaignTech #PoliticalInnovation #DigitalOutreach #VoterEngagement #MobileStategy
Peerly.com
Aram Fischer, Co-Founder and CEO of Change Agent, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss values-aligned generative AI and how it contrasts with mainstream AI platforms. Aram warns about built-in societal biases and misinformation in tools like ChatGPT that need to be identified to better align data with proper action.
Deepak and Aram talk about:
- Shortcomings in existing gen AI platforms related to data privacy and implicit and explicit biases
- Practical applications for AI for voter data analysis and fundraising
- Using AI to support campaign communications and messaging
- Creating a library of pre-built workflows to improve campaign efficiency and automate time-consuming tasks
#TheDemLabs #TheChangeAI #ChangeAgent #Nonprofits #NonProfitTech #AI #GenAIinPolitics #PoliticalAI #EthicalAI #Activists #SocialJustice #Fundraising
Change Agent
TheDemLabs.org
Ellen Gavin, filmmaker and changemaker, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss her latest project, a short film titled "The People United," a collaboration with legendary activist Dolores Huerta that encourages nonviolent community intervention to protect neighbors from ICE. Ellen drives home the point that effective activism must touch the heart to move the feet and be driven by a message of solidarity, rather than being motivated by fear-based tactics.
Deepak and Ellen talk about:
- The use of films to tell stories that combat political disinformation and inspire action
- Need for urgency to fight threats to our democracy
- Parallels between the current political climate in the US and the historical rise of fascism
- Drawing inspiration from Huerta
#TheDemLabs #EllenGavin #DoloresHuerta #Protests #Autocrats #Resistance #Democracy #CivicEngagement #SocialMovements #PoliticalAction
EllenGavin.com
TheDemLabs.org
Anne-christine d'Adesky, Founder of Resisting Project 2025, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss strategies to counter the agenda of Project 2025, guiding the Trump administration. She details the growth and significance of the No Kings protests, explaining the goal of reaching 3.5% of the US population — a figure identified as a tipping point for effective nonviolent resistance.
Deepak and Anne-christine talk about:
- How the No Kings mobilization grew and who participated
- Lessons from international pro-democracy movements
- Why creative forms of resistance are critical for breaking down autocrats' projection of power
- Future actions that are being organized to build coalitions and identify community-specific priorities
#TheDemLabs #ResistingProject2025 #Protests #ResistancetoAutocracy #Autocrats #Resistance #Democracy #CivicEngagement #SocialMovements #PoliticalAction
Resisting Project 2025
TheDemLabs.org
Maresa Strano, Director of the Political Reform Program at New America, discusses the role and mechanics of ballot initiatives in the 23 states that allow for citizen-led statewide initiatives. These Initiatives are a tool for direct democracy and are an effective mechanism for achieving political and good governance reform. Once established in a state's constitution, ballot initiative-driven legislation is difficult to restrict, and typically, changes are unpopular with voters. Current research suggests an opportunity to expand the ballot initiative process to new states as a means to transcend partisan politics and foster meaningful civic engagement and democratic reform.
We talk about:
- The complexity of creating and driving a successful citizen-initiated ballot measure
- Why initiative topics like raising the minimum wage frequently attract bipartisan support
- Ballot initiatives as a powerful tool for engaging members of a community especially the younger generation
- Identifying states ripe for adopting a ballot initiative process
#NewAmerica #BallotInitiatives #PoliticalReform #DirectDemocracy #CivicEngagement
NewAmerica.org
Eva Posner, Founder of Evinco Strategies, focuses on the immense challenges facing political campaigns in this current environment of political violence, the 25-minute news cycle, and economic uncertainty. This climate has deterred qualified candidates from running and made it more difficult for campaigns to raise money, particularly from larger donors.
We talk about:
- How the threat of political violence is impacting the physical safety and mental health of candidates and their staff
- While partisan outrage drives small-donor online donations, sustained funding from major donors has become harder to secure
- Why the nationalization of state and local campaigns sets unrealistic fundraising expectations for candidates
- The role of social media in amplifying campaign ground efforts and breaking through the noise
#EvincoStrategies #PoliticalCampaigns #PolitcalViolence #Fundraising #PoliticalCandidates
EvincoStrategies.com
Scott Goodstein, Founder and CEO of Catalyst Campaigns, discusses the evolution and current state of social media strategies in politics in this interview, recorded on September 11 and the day after the murder of Conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Scott was the social media architect for the 2008 Obama campaign and contrasts the early, diverse social media landscape with today's video-dominated rapid-response environment, which is concentrated on a few major platforms.
We talk about:
- Where and how voters are getting news and information
- Using social media for two-way engagement rather than broadcasting
- Need to break out of the partisan echo chambers
- Strategic differences between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to defining the narrative and storytelling
- The role of AI in creating sophisticated disinformation
CatalystCampaigns.com
https://www.thewrap.com/wsj-trans-ideology-charlie-kirk-bullets-false-report/
This is an interview conducted by Deepak Puri of The Democracy Labs, discussing the art of podcasting with me, Karen Jagoda. Being a podcaster since the early days, I have seen my share of great guests, reluctant guests, and unprepared guests. Listening to other podcasters has helped me understand both the great potential and limited value podcasts and podcasters can have. In addition to the Digital Politics Podcast, I am also the producer and host of the Empowered Patient Podcast, which has allowed me to interview scientists and medical professionals who are increasingly interested in discussing politics and advocacy related to healthcare and research.
Deepak and I talk about:
- Preparation of guests about the format and host of the podcast to ensure key messages are expressed effectively
- Need for flexibility on the part of the host and guests to allow for natural and authentic conversations
- Keys to good storytelling, especially in an audio format
- Why commitment and consistency are necessary for a podcast to be effective
TheDemLabs.org
EmpoweredPatientPodcast.com
Hamid Ghanadan, CEO at LINUS, reports on their recent State of Science research that tracks scientists' sentiment, funding expectations, and barriers to their work. Key findings reveal that the politicization of science and erosion of public trust in science threaten to slow innovation rates and negatively impact public access to accurate information. The survey also shows a direct negative impact on scientists' morale, job satisfaction, and creativity.
We talk about:
- The growing perception of the public that science is not real
- Sources of public distrust of scientific information
- When scientists become politically active
- Need for more direct communication from the scientists and life science leaders to make complex topics more understandable and relevant
- Opportunity for researchers, institutions, vendors, and advocacy groups to recognize these issues and take responsibility to improve the communication of accurate health and medical information to a broader audience
#TheLINUSGroup #Scientists #MedicalResearchers #PublicTrust #PoliticizationofScience #HealthcareInformation #MedicalInformation
TheLINUSGroup.com
Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, has developed the FastAlert Now app that allows organizers and non-profit organizations to send alerts to people without requiring their phone number, email, or downloading an app. This free app is a channel-based system that uses QR codes and URLs to enable users to subscribe to a specific channel and receive push notifications on their phone or computer while protecting the identity of the recipient.
Deepak and I talk about:
- Need for privacy-centric communication technologies
- Advantages of precise targeting of messages while protecting privacy
- Rapid alerts in emergencies and combating misinformation and rumors
- Why humor is a strategic weapon in advocacy
#TheDemLabs #FastAlertNow #Advocacy #RapidResponse #Activists
TheDemLabs.org
James Keppel is the Founder and CEO of Sarana Health and a healthcare advocate for an integrated, wellness-focused approach to keeping people healthy instead of simply treating diseases. While the impacts of current policy changes and budget cuts in healthcare and medical research have yet to be seen, all indications point to widening gaps in serving rural populations and those with complex conditions. James encourages private industry to step up to innovate new models of healthcare delivery and financing, and to use AI and technology to support healthcare providers in providing personalized, continuous care.
We talk about:
- Need to inform and influence the debate about healthcare policy
- Gaps in how traditional medicine addresses chronic conditions and preventative care
- Hot button issues like drug price transparency, telehealth, and nutrition benefit cuts
- How the smarter use of diagnostic tests to find early warning signs of disease benefits all stakeholders
- Growing frustration among healthcare providers and patients with the current healthcare system is creating an opportunity for innovative models to emerge
#SaranaHealth #Healthcare #HealthcareCuts #RuralHealthcare #MedAI
Sarana.Health
Brian Rolling, Co-Founder of the MurMur Project, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss how individuals can engage more effectively through digital communication and social media, gaining a deeper understanding of political issues, campaigns, and elections, and have their own voices heard. Brian has a background in filmmaking and content creation, while his mother and co-founder has a long history in community organizing and running non-profits, making them a unique team to navigate the current political landscape.
Deepak and Brian talk about:
- Overcoming cynicism and the lack of trust in traditional media
- Reasons to encourage more people to share information with friends and family
- Value of trusted sources of authentic information
- Available tools and guidance for people to create and share content on social media
- Calls to action for 2026
#TheDemLabs #AmericansUnitedforSeparationofChurchandState #AU #SeparationofChurchandState #JohnsonAmendment
MurMur Impact Project Substack
TheDemLabs.org
Rebecca Markert, Vice President and Legal Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State , joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the fundamental American principle of the separation of church and state, as included in the Constitution. The Johnson Amendment, passed 70 years ago, is a critical law that prevents churches and charities from endorsing or opposing political candidates.
Deepak and Rebecca talk about:
- Historical perspective of the Johnson Amendment and bipartisan support
- Efforts to inject more religion into public schools
- The threat of religious beliefs being used to undermine democratic principles
- The rise of White Christian nationalism and efforts to dismantle the separation between church and state
- Calls to action
#TheDemLabs #AmericansUnitedforSeparationofChurchandState #AU #SeparationofChurchandState #JohnsonAmendment
au.org
TheDemLabs.org
Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, Executive Director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, discusses the 2.5 Project, an initiative by BISC that provides early, flexible funding to support ballot initiatives focused on economic justice. Recent efforts in Nebraska and Missouri to support minimum wage and paid sick leave ballot initiatives yielded positive results, demonstrating the ability to frame the issues and collaborate with related efforts, such as reproductive rights measures.
We talk about:
- The differences between political candidate campaigns and ballot initiatives
- Importance of local coalitions
- Need for ongoing communication to drive civic engagement and education about the potential impact of ballot initiatives
- Ballot initiative trends and coordination across states
#BallotInitiativeStrategyCenter #BISC #BallotInitiatives #Organizing #LocalOrganizers
Ballot.org
Jim Lardner, journalist, activist, and host of the podcast "Good Trouble," joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the "We Are Your Neighbor" Project, which aims to collect and promote personal stories of people impacted by the Trump administration's policies. The goal is to promote these types of stories in a non-ideological way to reach out to Trump supporters and others who may be reconsidering their political support.
Deepak and Jim talk about:
- The power of storytelling to connect voters across the political spectrum
- Growing number of people who are willing to share their stories publicly
- Encouraging more nuanced and empathetic discussions about local and national issues
- Serving as a resource for journalists and activists looking to better understand the real-world impacts of policy changes
#WeAreYourNeighbors #TheDemLabs #FederalWorkers #FundingCuts #Healthcare #Immigrants #Storytelling #PoliticalResistance #Activism
WeAreYourNeighbors.net
TheDemLabs.org
Bill Moyer, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Backbone Campaign, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to explore the value of creative activism and visual props in promoting causes and values. The metaphor of the backbone is a symbol of moral power and strength that voters are encouraged to draw on to protest, drive awareness, and mobilize to bring about change. The Backbone Campaign is supporting organizers nationwide to help them collaborate and effectively convey their messages.
Deepak and Bill talk about:
- The intersection of art and activism
- Impact of large visual props and light projections
- Providing training, tools, and support to activists
- Need to drive conversations and build emotional connections
#TheDemLabs #BackboneCampaign #Activism #GrassrootsActivism #Organizing #Protests #PoliticalProtests
BackboneCampaign.org
TheDemLabs.org
Allen Carroll, cartographer and lead of the Story Maps team at Esri, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the power of maps and the visualization of GIS data to tell a compelling story. The StoryMaps platform combines multimedia elements to create richer and more engaging maps to spark empathy, raise awareness, and potentially inspire change.
Deepak and Allen talk about:
- Why maps and StoryMaps are a highly efficient and effective way to convey complex information
- The role of heroes in telling a story and humanizing data
- Using maps to advocate and educate
- Driving public engagement with maps and potential actions to be taken
#TheDemLabs #Esri #StoryMaps #ArcGIS #GIS #Advocacy #CivicEngagement #Storytelling #Maps
esri.com
TheDemLabs.org
Lucian K. Truscott IV, journalist, author, and screenwriter, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to shine a light on the challenges of writing about and reporting on current events, political voices, and cultural trends. Lucian started working for the Village Voice while still a cadet at West Point in the 1960s and comes from a long line of military leaders and political figures. He is currently covering politics on his Substack newsletter, Lucian Truscott. Note that this interview was recorded a few days before the US dropped bombs on Iran.
Deepak and Lucian talk about:
- Interviewing Abby Hoffman for Life Magazine and covering the Stonewall Riots
- Current and potential US military action against Iran
- How Lucian's experience as a graduate of West Point informs his view of the consequences of US involvement in conflicts
- His concern about hasty and ill-advised military and political decisions
#TheDemLabs #LucianKTruscott #MilitaryAction #PoliticalReporting #AttacksonIran
LucianTruscott.substack.com
TheDemLabs.org
Nicole Cushman joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about Charley. This private, secure abortion focused AI chatbot was created in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The goal of this project is to provide personalized, accurate, up-to-date information about abortion services while protecting the privacy of those looking for resources.
Deepak and Nicole talk about:
- Abortion access in America
- Databases powering Charley to track changes in clinic locations and state-level abortion policies
- The power of combining healthcare experts, lawyers, and technology to provide a source for trustworthy information
- How Charley the chatbot has been designed to be embedded in websites that reach the target audience for this information
- Privacy and security measures that include not collecting any personally identifiable information and deleting chat logs
#TheDemLabs #AI #Chatbots #AbortionServices #ChatwithCharley #INeedanA #AbortionPill #AbortionCare #AbortionbyMail
ChatwithCharley.org
INeedanA.org
NicoleCushman.com
TheDemLabs.org
Catherine Rowland, Legislative Affairs Director at the Congressional Progressive Caucus Center, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to explore the current budget reconciliation process in the US Congress. Regardless of the method, Catherine emphasizes that the voice of constituents can make a difference in the outcome and influence budget decisions.
Deepak and Catherine talk about:
- The reconciliation process and rules that determine what provisions can be included in the budget
- The priorities of the Big Beautiful Bill and the competing priorities and interests at play
- Potential impact of significant budget cuts and shifting priorities
- Importance of voter engagement and pressure on members of Congress
#ProgressiveCaucusCenter #CongressionalBudget #BudgetReconciliation #Advocacy #CongressionalBudgetOffice ProgressiveCaucusCenter.org
TheDemLabs.org
Gwenn Fulton from the Addition Project joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to explore how storytelling is a powerful way to translate personal experiences into public dialogue, building shared understanding and action around common challenges. Stories of the working class are particularly needed so that their concerns and aspirations are told in their own voices.
Deepak and Gwenn talk about:
- Effective storytelling balances facts with emotional expression to allow listeners to see themselves as part of the story
- How storytelling can drive grassroots organizing and mobilization
- Why narratives need to identify the heroes as well as the villains.
- How the Republicans are weaponizing storytelling to advance divisive narratives and how the Democrats are responding
#AdditionProject #TheDemLabs #Storytelling #WorkingClass #SocialChange #Organizing #SocialJustice #ClassinAmerica
AdditionProject.org
TheDemLabs.org
Anna Chu, Executive Director of We the Action, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the critical role lawyers play in defending the rule of law and supporting nonprofits during these challenging times. The We the Action platform connects lawyers with organizations addressing the challenges both sides face in finding specific expertise and meaningful opportunities.
Deepak and Anna talk about
- Making it easier for lawyers to find nonprofits they can help
- Increasing need for legal support for nonprofits
- Working with unions to set up free legal counsel for Federal workers who have been laid off or fired
- The responsibility of lawyers to serve the public good
#WetheAction #TheDemLabs #Lawyers #Nonprofits #ProBonoLegalServices
WeTheAction.org
TheDemLabs.org
Jennifer Appel, filmmaker, teacher, and activist, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the American Dream and the need to provide a more complete and accurate portrayal of the American experience. Jennifer uses storytelling, music, and visuals to give voice to diverse perspectives, including those of Indigenous people and veterans, to rally the country and heal the divisions in American society. She reminds us of the Hopi Indian quote, "The one who tells the story rules the world."
Deepak and Jennifer talk about
- What drives Jennifer to use music and film to inspire change
- What kind of change is needed in this increasingly materialistic society
- The unrealized potential of the American Dream
- The Country Club Culture
- Bruce Springsteen
#SomewhereIRead #JenAppelCreates #TraitorFilm #TraitorMovie #TraitorAStoryOfPatriots #IndieFilm #Patriotism #Democracy #Democrats #GOP #Republicans #MusicInFilm #BruceSpringsteen #TheBoss #SpringsteenSongs #BornToRun #SpringsteenNation #MusicHeals #HealingTheNation #TruthOverTyranny #MikeAppelLegacy
SomewhereIRead.com
TheDemLabs.org
Shasti Conrad is the Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party and Associate Chair of the Democratic National Committee. Her involvement in political organizing and activism taught her that campaigns must focus on economic messages to build coalitions that cut across partisan lines. This year, before the 2026 mid-terms, there is an opportunity to engage diverse constituents in person and online to test new messaging and strategies for reaching consensus and winning races.
We talk about:
- Who is participating in the nationwide protests against the Trump administration
- Reaching out to Republicans and Independents to engage persuadable voters
- Focusing on down-ballot races and statewide races in 2025
- Engaging younger voters
#ShastiConrad #WADEMS #Voters #Persuasion #Protests #ProtestingTrump #Townhalls #DemocraticParty #Democrats
WADems.org
Zach Adams, Senior Specialist in Client Partnerships for Politics and Public Affairs at VDX.tv, discusses the evolving landscape of political campaigns and the importance of ongoing engagement with voters beyond election day. Candidates and campaigns often fail to maintain relationships with voters, except for requests for contributions. Data analytics is one path to effectively target messages to engage and motivate the base and attract new supporters.
We talk about:
- Moving beyond the transactional nature of voter engagement
- Why political ads need to be more emotionally evocative and strategically targeted to specific voter segments
- The need for campaigns to take a more holistic, coordinated approach to messaging, with traditional and digital channels working together
- Expanding contextual targeting and leveraging influencers
- Data needs to be balanced with an understanding of the art and emotional impact of effective political ads
#VDXTV #PoliticalAdvertising #PoliticalCampaigns #DigitalVoterOutreach #PoliticalEvangelists #VoterEngagement
VDX.tv
Michael D. Cohen is the CEO of the Cohen Research Group, a political public affairs and corporate research firm, and the author of Modern Political Campaigns: How Professionalism, Technology, and Speed Have Revolutionized Elections. He has written a new chapter for this well-received book that focuses on the power of AI and opportunities to apply it in political campaigns. Michael emphasizes the need to balance the use of AI with maintaining the authenticity and voice of the candidate. We talk about: * AI tools being used by campaigns to generate content ideas for fundraising emails and social posts * Opportunities to use AI in campaigns to inform rapid responses to news and events * Increased motivation to use AI tools to enable campaign teams to do more with fewer resources * The increased adoption of AI tools by down-ballot campaigns, not just high-profile campaigns
#CohenResearchGroup #PoliticalCampaigns #BookTok #Elections #AIinPoliticalCampaigns #AI #PoliticalConsultants #Voters
CohenResearchGroup.com
ModernPoliticalCampaigns.com
Robert Maxwell, Founder of ClinConnect, focuses on improving access to information about clinical trials and simplifying the path patients, doctors, and caregivers need to go through to find potentially life-saving trials. This clinical trial data is drawn directly from the clinicaltrials.gov database. The ClinConnect solution is updated more accurately and provides a user-friendly interface to explore possible trials, aid in applying to participate in a trial, and support participation. The community of people concerned about science-based healthcare and the need for access to clinical trials is growing, and a voter cohort that cuts across traditional party lines.
We talk about:
- Stakeholders in the drug development and testing environment
- Overcoming challenges of recruiting and retaining clinical trial participants
- How COVID-19 impacted willingness to participate in clinical trials
- How extending access drives more diverse participation in clinical trials
- Protecting patient privacy and measures to ensure data security
- Public policy implications of restrictions and access to health data
#ClinConnect #ClinicalTrials #Healthcare #PublicPolicy
ClinConnect.io
Mark Positano is the Head of Political at StackAdapt, a programmatic digital advertising buying platform. With a focus on advertising outside the "walled gardens" like Facebook and Google, StackAdapt uses AI and data analytics to optimize ad buying and targeting for political campaigns across a wide range of media properties and streaming platforms.
We talked about:
- Getting beyond micro-targeting using a more nuanced approach to targeting voters
- Growth of political digital ad budgets outpacing growth of traditional ad budgets
- Digital ad buying strategies
- How response to digital ads can inform traditional ad strategies
- Metrics of success of a digital ad campaign
#StackAdapt #PoliticalAdvertising #DigitalAdvertising #PoliticalMarketing #Midterms2026 #VoterTargeting #CTVAdvertising #AdMeasurement #ProgrammaticAdvertising
StackAdapt.com
Desiree Matel-Anderson, Founder and Chief Wrangler of the Field Innovation Team joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss emergency preparation in an age of natural and man-made disasters, climate uncertainty, and overwhelmed government resources. The key is to be prepared with a plan to respond with a critical thinking mindset to avoid emotional reactions and panic.
Deepak and Desiree talk about
- Need for innovative, flexible problem-solving in emergency situations
- Importance of local community involvement and preparedness for emergencies
- Emergencies within emergencies
- Solving problems in real-time
- Technology and emergency preparation and response
#FieldInnovationTeam #TheDemLabs #EmergencyPrep #DisasterResponse
FieldInnovationTeam.org
TheDemLabs.org
Ben Katz, Chief Architect of ISPolitical, is concerned about the inadequate data and systems security measures political and advocacy organizations, political campaigns, and government organizations have in place. The first step is to audit current security practices and all the people who have access to the organization's databases, financial systems, and web administration.
We talk about:
- Data access vulnerabilities
- File access levels and permissions
- Cloud services and backup strategies
- Verifying vendor security credentials
- How to improve security practices of smaller organizations
- Addressing the ongoing arms race between security measures and attackers
#ISPolitical #Cybersecurity #Data #DataSecurity
ISPolitical.com
Scott Goodstein is the Founder and CEO of Catalyst Campaigns and a digital pioneer. The results from the 2024 election indicate that the ground game needs a fresh review of how volunteers can be better deployed and how to find trusted messengers for a political campaign. The traditional ward and precinct system built relationships with voters over time. What's the new face of field operations?
We talk about:
- The history of door-knocking in political campaigns
- Measuring the success of field operations
- Political text abuses
- Online fundraising traps
- How the Trump campaign and supporting SuperPACs reached voters
#CatalystCampaigns #GroundGame #FieldOperations #Fundraising #PoliticalTexts #Voters #VoterOutreach
CatalystCampaigns.com
Myth of the Ground Game
We've lost control of political text messaging
John Hoffman, principal of Advocate for Access, has 20+ years of experience working with big pharma companies to promote advocating for patients and driving the move to provide access to drugs and therapies to a broader audience. Public/private health policy trends highlight the need to raise awareness about the science of medicine and the inequities in access to life-saving drugs and effective treatments for chronic conditions.
We talk about:
- The role of social influencers in raising awareness about patient needs, promoting valuable information, and spreading disinformation
- How healthcare advocacy groups are influencing public and private policy decisions
- The rise of violent protests against healthcare inequities
- Stakeholders in the healthcare environment
- Health policies and healthcare disparities in the US
- The role pharmaceutical companies play in advocating for patients
#AdvocateForAccess #HealthcareEquity #HealthcareInequity #HealthcareAdvocates #PharmaceuticalCompanies #PatientAdvocacy #SocialInfluencers
AdvocateForAccess.org
Ryan Davis, the Co-Founder and COO of PeopleFirst, shares insights and analysis about the activities of influencers and content creators in the campaign leading up to the 2024 election. While celebrity influencers have large followings, the voices of local people sharing authentic content about all kinds of interests broke through the noise to reach key segments of voters.
We talk about:
- The value of non-political content creators
- The trap of preaching to the choir of those who are already interested in the campaign
- Micro-influencers and the sweet spot for followers
- Gen Z engagement and building relationships
- Need for diverse voices to reach those looking for political information
Political vs. Non-Political
https://people1st.substack.com/p/meeting-in-the-middle-political-vs
RFK/Trump used creators to break through
https://disinfoagainstdemocrats.substack.com/p/how-trump-used-rfk-jr-to-harness
Recent Webinar on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se2RsJ0Izio&t=1s
Sign up for Webinar Invites
https://people1st.substack.com/
#PeopleFirst #ContentCreators #Influencers #Election2024 #GenZ #Voters
PeopleFirst.cc
Andrew Einhorn, the Co-Founder and CEO of LevelFields, is an expert on fintech and AI. He highlights how political uncertainty and tight elections create market volatility and can impact voting behavior. Using their event intelligence platform, LevelFields connects the dots using AI to spot trends and predict future behavior.
We talk about:
- How the volatility of the stock market affects voting behavior
- How AI is being used to understand the cause and effect of conflicts and trade wars on the stock market and voters
- Possible political ramifications of antitrust cases against tech giants
- Events on the horizon
#LevelFields #FintechAI #AI #FiscalPolicy #VoterBehavior #Voting #StockMarket #StockMarketBehavior #WealthManagement
levelfields.ai
Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, experimented with an AI engine that can digest, summarize, and verbalize dense content like the Harris Walz Plan to lower costs and create an opportunity economy. The result is this 10-minute podcast, a conversation between a male and female voice highlighting the plan's key issues.
The first part of this podcast is the real Deepak and me talking about:
- Preferred methods of communicating complicated ideas with voters
- The value of AI to quickly disseminate campaign information
- Bias built into AI models
- Value of voices to tell a story
@TheDemLabs #AI #HarrisEconomicPlan
Kamala Harris Economy Policy Plan
TheDemLabs.org
Daryl Cagle of Cagle Cartoons Syndicate has a keen eye for detail and brings a strong sense of humor to the world of editorial and political cartoons. He is also the host of the video podcast Caglecast, available on YouTube, where he talks with the cartoonists. Political humor is an increasingly challenging topic, and Daryl confirms that there is not much that Democrats and Republicans agree about, including what is funny.
We talk about:
- What catches the political cartoonist's attention to drive home a point
- The right way and wrong way to characterize Donald Trump
- The challenge of drawing Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and JD Vance
- The role of cats and dogs in expressing political humor
#CagleCartoons #PoliticalCartoons #EditorialCartoons #PoliticalHumor
CagleCartoons.com
YouTube.com/CagleCartoons
Sean Duggan owner SD Media, a media and entertainment consulting firm, has seen the media landscape for targeting voters shift dramatically, requiring a broader view of where and when to reach voters. Attending the DNC Convention in Chicago, Sean was struck by the mix of entertainment and content and the range of speakers and talent under 40 in the Democratic party. With the end of the election season in sight, new approaches to finding likely and persuadable voters through streaming services, social media, audio networks, and influencers are key to engagement.
We talk about:
- How the DNC Convention reached out to multicultural and young voters
- How media buying in the last part of the election season has been a new challenge for content creation and ad placement
- Where the new infusion of campaign dollars will be spent
- Advertising on YouTube to audience segments otherwise unreachable
- Mistakes campaigns make about how voters get their news
#SeanDuggan #PoliticalAdvertising #PoliticalAds #TargetingVoters #SpotterLA #YouTube
Sean Duggan Media
Eitan Koter is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of Vimmi, which brings next-generation e-commerce functionality to digital video content. With its video commerce platform, audiences can engage with video, make purchases, and contribute within the context of the video. Applications can include digital feeds of live events and social media posts.
We talk about:
- How interactive videos transform the way candidates and advocates can build relationships with their target audiences
- How Vimmi's platform overcomes the challenges of seamless social commerce
- Rising expectations for the availability of shoppable videos
- Strategies for driving digital engagement
#Vimmi #VideoCommerce #SocialCommerce #ShoppableVideos #PoliticalCampaigns #VoterEngagement
vimmi.net
Lauren Benedict is Spotter's Chief Revenue Officer and a media ecosystem professional. She has been at the forefront of the consumer shift to streaming services and CTV and understands the value of content to attract a diverse audience. Spotter invests in content creators to help create a robust landscape of long-form videos on YouTube and provides sophisticated targeting tools for advertisers to reach desired affinity groups. This approach is particularly effective for reaching cord-cutters and low-information voters with a YouTube first-viewing behavior.
We talk about:
- The content creator economy
- How consumer media consumption habits are changing
- Value of targeting voters on YouTube
- Political advertising in a streaming media world
#Spotter #YouTube #PoliticalAds #Voters #ContentCreators #GOTV #Election2024 #VoterPersuasion #LowInformationVoters
spotter.la
Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, attended the DNC Convention in Chicago and came away with a strong sense of the energy that will be applied to Democratic campaigns moving into election season. Deepak was struck by the crowd's diversity, particularly the younger multi-cultural attendees. He also points out the historical views that were driven home by the diverse speakers.
We talk about:
- The role Project 2025 played in the narrative of the Convention
- The new format of the Roll Call of States and the other entertainment and social media content the Convention organizers made available
- Most productive actions volunteers are taking to get out the vote
- Turning enthusiasm into votes
@TheDemLabs #VoterOutreach #VotingMatters #GOTV #Democrats #Canvassing #FieldOperations #Mobilization #Organizing #CampaignVolunteers #Project2025 #DNCConvention #Election2024
TheDemLabs.org
Jamie Miller is a political consultant, field operations expert, and author of Reasonable Arguments @ Substack and the book American Speeches that Changed History. As a leader in the Florida Republican party and director of the Florida statewide field operations for the 2000 election and recount, Jamie brings unique insights about Florida voters. He is also exploring the use of AI to improve predictive models of voter behavior and field tactics.
We talk about:
- Innovations in field operations
- Voter segmentation
- Persuadable voters
- Best practices for field operations in the final stretch
#FloridaVoters #RepublicanVoters #FieldOperations #VoterSegmentation #GOTV
American Speeches That Changed History
ReasonableArguments.com
Reid McCollum, Program Outreach Director for Progressive Turnout Project, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss tactics for getting out the vote in swing states by paying canvassers. This approach to door-knocking is particularly effective in small towns where people from the community use technology to create walk lists to find likely Democratic voters. PTP will invest $35 million in programs to rally Democrats to vote through direct voter contact. The paid door-knocking program pays $125 for every completed list of 50-60 doors.
Deepak and Reid talk about:
- Who are they paying to canvass, and what are the advantages over using volunteers
- Adding value to the large apparatus of state and national party field operations
- Postcarding success
- Value of a conversation with a voter
- Emphasis on creating the social norm to vote
#TurnoutPAC @TheDemLabs #VoterOutreach #VotingMatters #GOTV #Democrats #Canvassing #FieldOperations #Mobilization #PaidCanvassers #PhoneBanking #Postcarding
Turnoutpac.org
Turnoutpac.org/door
TheDemLabs.org
Daniel Scantlebury, Vice President of Data Science and AI at Resonate, is eager to dive into the data he is collecting about voters and where they find information. With the explosion of affinity groups mobilizing to support the Harris-Walz campaign, Daniel is using his insights to better understand and predict voting behavior and targeting opportunities. Existing voter segments used for messaging and targeting are under the microscope and subject to change.
We talk about:
- Self-organized groups and reaching these niche audiences
- What the term Progressive means
- Which candidates are considered old
- Media bubbles
- Impact of grassroots activity on voter turnout
#Resonate #Voters #Progressive #VotingBehavior #Grassroots #VoterTurnout #Organizing #VoterSegmentation #HarrisWalz #Election2024
Resonate.com
Andrea Miller, Center for Common Ground, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss tactics to encourage voters and volunteers in the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, particularly in rural areas, to get involved in campaigns. With an emphasis on grassroots organizing, training for effective phone banking, and activities such as postcarding that can be done at home or in small groups, this Center is mobilizing voters and eager to get out the vote in November 2024.
Deepak and Andrea talk about:
- Voter outreach in rural areas
- Postcarding to BIPOC voters using cards designed to be culturally motivating
- Turning excitement into action
- Project 2025 implications for Black and other Voters of Color
#CTR4CmnGround @TheDemLabs #VoterOutreach #VoterTurnout #RuralVoters #Election202 #Voters #VoterSuppression #BIPOC #GOTV #Postcarding #Postcards #CampaignVolunteers
CenterforCommonGround.org
TheDemLabs.org
Varun Nikore, Executive Director of the AAPI Victory Alliance, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the voting habits of Asian American or Pacific Islander voters and how to increase turnout. With an eye on overcoming resistance in the AAPI population to voting, the Alliance offers various activities to encourage involvement in campaigns and excitement for voting.
Deepak and Varun talk about:
- Where the AAPI population is growing the fastest
- Raising awareness about Kamala Harris, who is part of the AAPI community
- The impact of Trump on the enthusiasm of AAPI female voters
- Project 2025 implications for the AAPI population
- Social media initiatives to engage the AAPI community
#AAPIVictoryAlliance @TheDemLabs #AAPI #AAPIVoters #Voters #AsianVoters #AsianAmericanVoters #PacificIslanderVoters #Election2024
AAPI Victory Alliance
TheDemLabs.org
Greg Miller, Co-Founder, COO, and Chair of the OSET Institute, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss using innovative technology to support election administration, including using AI to support call centers to address voters' questions. OSET has also built an AI model to analyze the text of Project 2025 to connect the dots and cut through the coded language to identify potential risks.
Deepak and Geg talk about:
- Challenges to managing elections in 2024
- Types of technology being used to enhance election administration
- Building a generative AI model to evaluate Project 2025 and Agenda 47
- The future of elections
#OSETInstitute #TrusttheVote @TheDemLabs #ElectionAdministration #Project2025 #Agenda47 #AI #VoterSuppression #Voters #Election2024
OSET Institute
TrusttheVote.org
TheDemLabs.org
John Fitzgerald is EVP, AD Sales, DAX US part of Global Media & Entertainment Lmt and associated companies, and an audio ad expert. Digital audio ads expand the universe of people who can hear a candidate's message thanks to the proliferation of devices that can be used for real-time and on-demand listening. Digital audio ads can also be produced quickly and tweaked to personalize messages for targeted audiences.
We talk about:
- Politicians as brands and what they can learn from advertisers of trusted consumer products
- The unique characteristics of digital audio ads and where they are being heard
- Targeting opportunities for digital audio ads
- Why campaigns need to include advertising on podcasts to their media mix to reach niche audiences
#DAXUS #DigitalAudioAds #PoliticalAds #TargetingPoliticalAds
dax.global.com/us/
Mark Galvin, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of TALON, discusses the Transparency in Coverage rule in healthcare. This rule was added to the Affordable Care Act and requires commercial health plan sponsors to provide transparency in the costs of tests, procedures, and other medical services. Despite the sharp divide in Congress, this rule received bipartisan support through several administrations. It seems most can agree that providing patients with information on pricing and out-of-pocket costs before committing to medical services allows them to make smarter healthcare decisions.
We talk about:
- How this rule got bipartisan support
- The impact of moving from total opaqueness in prices to transparency in the costs of tests and procedures
- The lack of awareness and understanding of the rule due to the vested interests of stakeholders such as insurance companies
- Educating patients, doctors, and employers about the Transparency in Coverage rule
#TALONHealthtech #TransparencyinCoverage #MedicalCosts #PatientCare #AffordableCareAct #ReduceHealthcareCosts #Hospitals #MedicalBills #Healthcare #HealthTech #HealthcareReform
talonhealthtech.com
Fadi Micaelian, CEO of SPARKDIT, is an AI strategist who brings insights into using generative AI to support political consultants and voters. These voters are weighing choices and making tradeoffs as they decide who to financially support and vote for. Using additional data points to predict voting behavior is increasingly essential as voters become more partisan and face pressure from friends and family to make decisions about candidates and issues.
We talk about:
- Training AI to think like humans
- Using tradeoff criteria to improve predictive models to identify likely voters
- How voters make decisions
- Helping voters make smarter decisions about candidates in their own party
- Single-issue voters
#SPARKDIT #AI #VoterSegmentation #PoliticalMessages #Voters
SPARKDIT.com
Daniel Scantlebury, Vice President of Data Science and AI at Resonate, is a seasoned observer of human behavior. He uses his insights to better understand and predict voting behavior. In this age of media bubbles, how voters consume news and form opinions creates even more challenges for campaigns to reach them.
We talk about:
- Use of Predictive Resonate Elements to target specific voter segments
- Persuadable, swing, and disengaged voters
- Educating clients about the use of AI in developing campaign media plans
- Near real-time analysis of online voter behavior
#Resonate #Voters #AI #VotingBehavior #VoterSegmentation
Resonate.com
Ryan Davis, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of People First, brings voices from diverse and specialized communities to campaigns to promote candidates and causes. The role of individuals with social media followers and the skills to create content is increasingly relevant to political campaigns trying to reach targeted voters. Influencer marketing is filling the need to find the most trusted voices.
We talk about:
- Differences between influencers
- Recruiting authentic voices to work with campaigns
- How campaigns can work with influence marketers
- Meta modifications to handling political content
- Underutilized digital platforms for reaching voters
#PeopleFirstCC #InfluencerMarketing #Influencers #PoliticalCampaigns #AdvocacyCampaigns #MetaPoliticalContent
peoplefirst.cc
Wendy Pickering Sullivan, Pickering Sullivan Investigations, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to pull back the curtain on the job of a private investigator. While a great deal of information is available online, PIs have access to proprietary sources, hard-to-find public records, and the right people to access the right resources.
Deepak and Wendy talk about:
- White-collar crime and fraud investigations
- Finding out facts about the opposition
- Determining what facts the opposition might discover about a candidate
- Need for background checks for candidates and campaign workers
- Finding crumbs and following footprints online and by talking to people
#PickeringSullivan @TheDemLabs #PrivateInvestigators #PI #FraudInvestigation #WhiteCollarCrime #CampaignFraud #ElectionFraud
PickeringSullivan.com
TheDemLabs.org
Daniel Barvin, Founder of the End the Legacy Foundation, is also the VP of Operations and Patient Advocacy at Coya Therapeutics. Coming from a family with a genetic predisposition to develop ALS, Daniel has brought together a community of activists who are intent on educating doctors and patients about early diagnosis and testing. This organization is also raising awareness about the need for more research and funding to cure genetic ALS and FTD.
Coya Therapeutics is developing diagnostics and treatments for genetic ALS and FTD, and Daniel is bringing the voices of the patients and family members to the table.
We talk about:
- Why there is a need for another ALS organization
- How the End the Legacy Foundation is using social media to build awareness and supporters
- The Genetic ALS and FTD Community Summit
- Building partnerships with researchers, industry and government
- Implications for families with inherited diseases
#EndtheLegacy #ALS #GeneticALS #ALSandFTD #GeneticDiseases #RareDiseases #Activism #InheritedDiseases
EndtheLegacy.org
CoyaTherapeutics.com
Interview on EmpoweredPatientPodcast
Transcript of Coya Therapeutics interview
Ray Kingman, CEO and Founder of Semcasting, emphasizes the need to use an issue-based approach to reach and motivate voters instead of using traditional voter segmentation to categorize those likely to vote. Rapid response to current events is a key opportunity for candidates and advocates to express their views on issues and provide accurate information in targeted digital campaigns.
Ray and I talk about:
- How issue-based audiences differ from those defined by voter files and related demographic data
- Identifying issue-based voters
- Issues driving the conversation with voters in 2024
- Message testing and measurement in a thematic or issue-based digital campaign
- Targeting tools and digital channels to drive fundraising and persuasion
#Semcasting #TargetingVoters #IssueBasedAudiences #Voters #Fundraising #Persuasion #Advocacy
Semcasting.com
Janice Gay, Phonebank Manager at Center for Common Ground, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to address efforts at the local level to reach out to the BIPOC communities where voting is inconsistent. By including familiar faces in the outreach efforts of local Democracy Centers, residents are encouraged to vote, speak up, find resources, and contribute to bringing change to their communities.
Deepak and Janice talk about:
- How community activism leads to voting
- Who is included in the Black Indigenous Other People of Color (BIOPC) community
- Building trust and encouraging repeat involvement in community activities
- Using social media and phone banks to recruit volunteers and attendees for events
- Development of the FindMyBenefits app to help at-risk communities
#CenterforCommonGround @TheDemLabs #CivicEngagement #Activism #BIPOC #VoterOutreach
Center for Common Ground
FindmyBenefits.info
TheDemLabs.org
Brian Hansbury, Co-Leader of Media and Democracy Project, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss guidelines for pro-democracy election coverage. With an open letter to American media executives, publishers, and journalists, Brian and his team are intent on expecting more from media companies in their reporting of the 2024 election. The Project is asking national and local journalists to support democracy and encourage the engagement of voters in issues with less focus on polls.
Deepak and Brian talk about:
- The eroding trust in traditional news sources
- Treating elections like they are more important than sports scores
- Polls are not news events
- Voter suppression
- Supporting robust local journalism
#MediaandDemocracyProject #FixMediaNow @TheDemLabs #ElectionCoverage #Journalists #Journalism #Democracy #Election2024
MediaandDemocracyProject.org
TheDemLabs.org
Seth David Radwell, author of American Schism: How the Two Enlightenments Hold the Secret to Healing Our Nation, which won the International Book Award for Best General Nonfiction in 2023, characterizes the forces driving the schisms in our society. With a view of the past and an analysis of what supports a healthy democracy, part of the solution, he contends, is the election system needs structural reform. There is a need for more competitive races and open primaries, focusing on issues, not just the candidates trying to be the most extreme in the primaries.
We talk about:
- Role social media is playing to fuel these divisions
- Current student protests and protest movements throughout history
- Disinformation, censorship, revisionism, hate speech
- Responsibility of the business sector to help heal the divide
- Building resilience and conducting open, civil conversations
- Overcoming voter apathy and addressing the frustrated majority
- How moving forward and holding on to a path creates tension in societies
- Why he is optimistic for the future of our democracy
#FightUnreasonWithReason #AmericanSchismBook #Democracy #Partisanship #Voters #VoterApathy
AmericanSchismBook.com
Jess Ellis, Senior Specialist, Client Partnerships, Politics at VDX.tv, illuminates the CTV and OLV landscape for political and advocacy advertising. With the increasing shift to streaming and the use of apps to download and watch videos, targeted advertising opportunities are diverse and effective for reaching specific segments of voters. The length of the ads is also shrinking as voter attention spans shorten, requiring more imaginative use of words and images.
We talk about:
- Applying advertising strategies used in the commercial sector to political outreach and persuasion
- Push for CTV pre-reservations
- Premium CTV inventory and finding those who pay to avoid streaming ads
- The under-appreciated value of non-premium CTV inventory
- Audiences watching OLV and linear TV
#VDXtv #CTV #OLV #PoliticalAdvertising #TargetingVoters #FASTapps #VideoAdvertising
VDX.tv
Anne Christine, investigative journalist and human rights activist Stop the Coup 2025, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to address the anti-abortion war and threat to women's health from Project 2025, a 900-page Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise from the Heritage Foundation. With references to the Comstock Act of 1843 and other state laws, this group is organizing campaigns that promote Christian nationalist values, intending to turn this country into a theocracy.
Deepak and Anne Christine talk about:
- How Christian Nationalists are using non-profits with tax-exempt status to organize hate campaigns and engage in political activities
- Strategy behind citing old laws with deliberate incorrect interpretations
- Criminalization of "deviant behavior"
- Calling on men to get involved with actions about reproductive choice
- Getting information into the hands of people who can amplify the message of the fight against Project 2025
#StoptheCoup2025 @TheDemLabs #HumanRights #WomensRights #ReproductiveRights #Project2025 #Democracy
StoptheCoup2025.org
TheDemLabs.org
Bryan Miller, President of Neptune Ops, discusses how browser companies are changing their policies regarding the use of cookies to locate specific individuals and the need for new campaign strategies to find and persuade voters online. In the post-cookie world, political consultants must consider new identifiers based on other data, surgical contextual targeting, and geo-fencing.
We talk about:
- What replaces cookies to identify and target specific voters or groups
- Voting propensity, voter turnout, and when people decide how they are going to vote
- Finding persuadable voters
- How voters are consuming media
- Use of humor in political and advocacy ads
- Reaching diverse and younger voters
- Election Month not Election Day
#NeptuneOps #TargetingVoters #PostCookies #PoliticalAdvertising
NeptuneOps.com
Patrice O'Neil, Founder of Not In Out Town, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss gathering communities together to support conversations that drive understanding about fighting hate and racism. Patrice reports that screening their film Repairing the World in local gatherings has become a catalyst for people to share their stories about being harmed by hate and actions that can taken to fight racist attacks. NIOT has become a story center for communities who want to stand up together and learn from each other.
Deepak and Patrice talk about:
- Inspiring people to take on hate and fight white supremacy
- Documenting incidents of hate and racism
- Engaging institutions that can take action
- Normalizing the fight against hate speech
#NIOT #NotInOurTown @TheDemLabs #HateSpeech #Racism #RepairtheWorldFilm
niot.org
RepairtheWorldFilm.org
TheDemLabs.org
Melanie Lavelle, Founder of Benefit Kitchen, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the impact of welfare reform and the creation of an app and database to empower people to understand what benefits are available. Benefit Kitchen is focused on working with people to overcome obstacles and gain insight into the eligibility rules for federal, state, and local benefits. Melanie has discovered that many rules and hard-to-find information are designed to keep people from enrolling and discourage participation in programs. The more these agencies hide, the more determined Melanie is to dig out the information and help people get necessary services and resources.
Deepak and Melanie talk about:
- How people find out about benefit programs and who is qualified to participate
- Creating an app that helps people decide which benefits to pursue and how one benefit might impact another
- Who is most likely not to get benefits
- Why a mobile-first solution for this target audience is essential
#BenefitKitchen @TheDemLabs #WelfareReform #GovernmentBenefits #FederalBenefits #StateBenefits #FoodStamps #SDOH #Seniors #MobileFirst
BenefitKitchen.com
TheDemLabs.org
Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, Founders of Survivors Empowered, join Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss their reaction and activism as a result of the murder of their daughter Jessi, killed in the Aurora Colorado theatre 2012 mass shooting. Their organization is focused on regulating companies that sell ammunition and repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
Deepak, Sandy and Lonnie talk about:
- Who is selling ammunition and what information is being collected
- Who is building arsenals of ammunition, and the role of online sellers
- Addressing the trauma of survivors and victims of gun violence
- National actions being taken to repeal the PLCA act that provides immunity to gun sellers
#SurvivorsEmpowered @TheDemLabs #MassShootings #Ammunition #GunViolence #NRA #Activism #AssaultWeapons #RepealPLCA
SurvivorsEmpowered.org
TheDemLabs.org
Joe Fuld, Founder of The Campaign Workshop, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to consider how the role of political and advocacy campaign managers has changed over the last 20 years. The constants are the ongoing challenges for a campaign to refine the message, have the candidate or advocate's voice heard by the target audience, and find the pressure points to make the most short-term and long-term impact. Joe also emphasizes the need to keep innovating to build robust campaign strategies.
Deepak and Joe talk about:
- Driving civic engagement
- Power mapping
- Need for training to maximize the impact of advocates and candidates
- Working with underfunded causes to maximize resources
#TheCampaignWorkshop @TheDemLabs #Organizing #Advocacy #Fundraising #CivicEngagement #PoliticalCampaigns
The Campaign Workshop
TheDemLabs.org
Rhiannon Ruff, Co-Founder of the digital agency Lumino, is a Wikipedia expert and author of the book Wikipedia & Crisis Comms. Increasingly, for voters and the media, Wikipedia is the go-to source for campaign and candidate information, and the accuracy of the information is critical for the site's moderators. While there are ways to get content edited, one presidential candidate's approach is a lesson in what not to do.
We talk about:
- Why campaigns should care about Wikipedia
- What sources are used to create and update Wikipedia pages
- How content is moderated on Wikipedia
- Tips on how to get Wikipedia pages changed
- Advice for campaigns about creating a Wikipedia strategy and who should take the lead
#LuminoDigital #Wikipedia #PoliticalCampaigns
LuminoDigital.com
Andra Watkins, The New York Times best-selling author and speaker, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the threat of Christian Nationalists to the future of our democracy. Indoctrinated as a child in Christian Nationalism, Andra understands the language of the calls to action in Project 2025 and warns about the potential impact on families and communities in her Substack: How Project 2025 Will Ruin YOUR Life.
Deepak and Andra talk about:
- How Christian Nationalists are different from other Christians
- The true meaning of the words Christian Nationalists use when describing God's Law and Man's Law
- What Christian Nationalists mean by pornography
- The need to drill down into the details of the 900-page Project 2025 Presidential Transition Project and not be distracted by the length
- The cost of fighting back against Christian Nationalists
#AndraWatkins #HowProject2025WillRuinYOURLife @TheDemLabs #Project2025 #ChristianNationalists #ChristianNationalism
How Project 2025 Will Ruin YOUR Life
TheDemLabs.org
Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, shares his reaction and insights from participating in the recent commemoration of Bloody Sunday and his walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. As an activist, Deepak appreciates the importance of learning from history and the need to continue the fight for civil rights.
We talk about:
- What motivated people to attend the 59th gathering to remember the beatings of the civil rights marchers and pass on lessons to the next generation
- Voter suppression
- Overcoming voter apathy
- Why it is essential to visit the actual places where history is made
- The threat of Project 2025 to democracy
@TheDemLabs #EdmundPettusBridge #CivilRights #Activism #HowProject2025WillRuinYourLife #VoterSuppression #VoterApathy #VoterRegistration #Protests #CivicEngagement
TheDemLabs.org
Jim Margolis, Partner at GMMB, was a Senior Advisor to Barack Obama in both of his campaigns for the White House. Jim is one of the stars of the recent documentary The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House A Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President. Taking on the challenge of introducing Barack Obama meant having a strategic plan to define a different kind of leader, telling his unique, authentic candidate story, and finding common interests with all voters. It was also the first presidential campaign to use the new social media tools to connect with voters. Jim emphasizes that the critical issue for campaigns is figuring out how to connect with voters where they are across the increasingly complex media landscape.
We talk about
- Advantages the Obama campaign had over the McCain campaign
- When Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCain's running mate
- Use of analytics to create specific media plans that target sub-groups of voters
- Value of celebrity endorsements of presidential candidates
- Efforts by candidates to enlist trusted influencers
- Getting back to hope and change
#TheBiggerHammerFilm #JimMargolis #BarackObama #PoliticalAds #Fundraising #MessageTesting #Pollsters #RapidResponse #Storytelling #Endorsements #2008PresidentialCampaign #KeithGaby #2008PresidentialElection #PresidentialCampaigns #PoliticalCampaigns
GMMB.com
Click here for the Interview with Keith Gaby, Director of The Bigger Hammer documentary.
The Bigger Hammer on Amazon Video
Fred Davis, CEO of Strategic Perception Inc., is a well-known Republican communications expert and one of the stars of the recent documentary The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House A Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President. As the Chief Creative Officer of McCain's presidential campaign, Fred had the challenge of running against the Barack Obama team and the plot twist of the addition of Sarah Palin to the McCain ticket. While Fred agrees social media, digital ads, and the internet are helpful for fundraising and organizing, he is not convinced those are strong tools for branding.
We talk about:
- The last Presidential campaign before digital media came of age
- Strategies for creating and testing political ads
- The strengths and liabilities of candidate John McCain
- Meaning of the Bigger Hammer and need for a long-term game plan
- When Sarah Palin was selected to be the Vice Presidential candidate
- Keys to authentic storytelling
#TheBiggerHammerFilm #FredDavis #PoliticalAds #Fundraising #MessageTesting #Pollsters #RapidResponse #Storytelling #JohnMcCain #SarahPalin #2008PresidentialCampaign #KeithGaby #BarackObama #2008PresidentialElection #PresidentialCampaigns #PoliticalCampaigns
StrategicPerceptionInc.com
Click here for the Interview with Keith Gaby, Director of The Bigger Hammer documentary.
The Bigger Hammer on Amazon Video
Varun Nikore, Executive Director of the AAPI Victory Alliance, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the Asian American Pacific Islanders' growing presence in the US. This group is expected to be the largest minority group by 2040 and includes first to fifth-generation family members from over 20 countries of origin. Varun's mission is to get more people from the AAPI community involved with politics, to run for public office, and to drive fundraising campaigns to support the next generation of leaders.
Deepak and Varun talk about:
- The demographic diversity of the AAPI community
- States where the AAPI communities are growing
- How to talk to the AAPI voters about issues that matter to them
- Base building for the future
- Battleground states in 2024 where the AAPI voters can make a difference
#AAPIVictoryAlliance @TheDemLabs #AAPI #AsianAmericanPacificIslanders #Voters #Fundraising #Election2024 #BattlegroundStates
AAPIVictoryAlliance.com
TheDemLabs.org
Po Murray, Co-Founder and Chairwoman of the Newtown Action Alliance, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the variations in state and federal laws protecting residents from gun violence. Since Uvalde, there have been changes in the awareness of the need for background checks and holding stakeholders responsible for public safety. Citizen activists are pushing for state and federal legislation to pierce the shield that protects weapon sales.
Deepak and Po talk about:
- Continuing efforts to get the assault weapon ban passed
- Nationalizing Ethan's Law, the child access prevention law passed in Connecticut
- Holding the gun industry accountable for gun violence and mass murders
- Preventing school shootings
- When motivated citizens get involved in changing public policy
#NewtownActionAlliance @TheDemLabs #GunViolence #MassShootings #SchoolShootings #AssaultWeaponBan #GunLaws #GunIndustry #SandyHook #Uvalde #EthansLaw
NewtownActionAlliance.org
TheDemLabs.org
Keith Gaby is the Director of The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House a Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President and communications expert. This behind-the-scenes documentary is a time capsule of presidential campaigns before the proliferation of social media and mobile devices. The film presents a balanced picture of the strategies and tactics of the advisors to Obama and McCain and how they handled challenges and opportunities.
We talk about:
- The motivation for the creation of this film
- Crisis management style of each campaign
- Crafting the candidate's message and image
- What the Bigger Hammer means for campaigns
- The impact of the addition of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate
- Expansion of the role of celebrities and social media influencers in political campaigns for reaching low-information and swing voters
- Lesson learned: Nothing is more important than the quality of the candidate
#KeithGaby #TheBiggerHammerFilm #Obama #McCain #2008PresidentialElection #PresidentialCampaigns #PoliticalCampaigns
The Bigger Hammer on Amazon Video
Ian Gates, a participant in the Students for Justice Vote intern program, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about getting young voters involved in political campaigns and voter registration efforts. The challenge is finding young voters where they get their news and creating content that comes from trusted sources and is shared in their social networks. This intern program focuses on learning about campaign techniques, political marketing, and civic engagement to build the next generation of campaign managers and candidates.
Deepak and Ian talk about:
- Recruiting African American students to get involved in campaigns
- The value for young voters to get out of their comfort zone by reaching out to register new voters
- Making compelling content to engage young people and encourage them to vote and share the content with their own network
- Speaking out about voting rights
#StudentsForJusticeVote @TheDemLabs #YoungVoters #VoterRegistration #Elections #VotingRights #Voters #Democracy #Election2024
StudentsForJusticeVote.org
TheDemLabs.org
Josh Klemons, Founder of Reverbal, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about the need to make the audience the hero, not the candidate, when communicating with voters. An expert on first-in-category candidates, Josh has refined his storytelling skills to create compelling digital content for winning campaigns and drive relationship organizing.
Deepak and Josh talk about:
- Keys to good storytelling
- The connection between organizing and digital tools
- Finding trusted messengers for campaigns to fight disinformation
- Role of social media influencers
- Advice for down-ballot races to find voters online
- Free digital tools for campaigns
#JoshKlemons @TheDemLabs #TikkunOlam #FreeDigitalTools #RelationalOrganizing #Elections #Voters #Democracy #Election2024
JoshKlemons.com
TheDemLabs.org
Ray Kingman, Founder and CEO of Semcasting, is focused on bringing a deeper understanding of the media habits of voters to campaigns. The shift from traditional linear TV advertising to Connected TV and other digital ad options is being accelerated thanks to the ability to target messages and measure the delivery and effectiveness of the ads.
We talk about:
- Candidate identity management
- Using a constellation of match keys to more accurately target voters
- The value of Real-Time Voter Measurement to ensure message delivery
- Availability of digital ad inventory
#Semcasting #PoliticalAds #DigitalAds #Election2024 #RealTimeVoterMeasurement #RTVM
Semcasting.com
Michael Serazio is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communications at Boston College and author of The Authenticity Industries: Keeping it "Real" in Media, Culture, and Politics. Calling authenticity the moral framework of our time, Michael addresses whether politicians can fake authenticity and what gives inauthenticity away. Drawing on observations of reality TV, social media, pop music, commercial advertising, and electoral politics, Michael has written a thought-provoking analysis of how politicians are becoming more like brands and brands are acting more like politicians.
We talk about
- How authenticity is created and demonstrated
- The different kinds of authenticity
- Perception of the authenticity of male and female candidates
- Role of influencers and nano-influencers in establishing candidate authenticity
- What will be seen as authentic in 2024 campaigns
#MichaelSerazio #TheAuthenticityIndustries #PoliticalCampaigns #PoliticalMessaging #VoterPersuasion #Authenticity
The Authenticity Industries: Keeping it "Real" in Media, Culture, and Politics by Michael Serazio
Matt Robison is a political consultant and former chief of staff for former New Hampshire Congressman Paul Hodes, his co-host on the Beyond Politics Podcast. Matt shines a light on the tendencies of New Hampshire primary voters and what the results might indicate about voter strategies in 2024.
We talk about
- Independent and unaffiliated NH voters
- How negative ads impact primary voters
- The importance of endorsements
- Do candidate debates make a difference
- Did Democrats change their registration to vote in the Republican primary
#MattRobison #BeyondPoliticsPodcast #NewHampshirePrimary #NewHampshireVoters #Election2024
BeyondPoliticsPodcast.com
Marta Hanson, National Program Manager, Power the Polls, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to emphasize the need for a nationwide effort to recruit the next generation of poll workers to ensure that elections run smoothly. In a presidential election year, it is estimated that one million people are needed to fill these paid positions at the local level to address language needs, balance party affiliation, and provide help with technology.
Deepak and Marta talk about:
- The importance of opportunities for non-partisan and bi-partisan civic engagement
- Demystifying the role of election administrators and poll workers
- Training poll workers
- Who is stepping up to become a poll worker
- How poll workers are being recruited through partnerships and events
#PowerthePolls @TheDemLabs #HelpAmericaVote #PollWorkers #Elections #Democracy #Election2024
PowerthePolls.org
TheDemLabs.org
Rajiv Bhateja, Co-Founder of They See Blue joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the need to educate and motivate Americans of South Asian origin to vote for Democrats and become involved in their local communities. Rajiv is an accidental activist bringing data analytic skills to this volunteer organization, allowing them to specifically target messages, organize, and get out the vote.
Deepak and Rajiv talk about:
- Where South Asians live across the US
- Successful methods to reach South Asian voters
- Encouraging South Asians to run for public office
- Issues that are meaningful to this community
- Looking for irregular voters and new voters to impress on them the importance of the 2024 election
#TheySeeBlue @TheDemLabs #SouthAsianCommunity #Mobilizing #Outreach #CivicEngagement #GOTV #Election2024
TheySeeBlue.com
TheDemLabs.org
Anne Christine, investigative journalist and human rights activist Stop the Coup 2025, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to address the threat to civil rights from Project 2025, a 900-page Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise from the Heritage Foundation. The key is turning the Mandate into discrete components so people can understand this anti-diversity platform and plan to dismantle the Federal government.
Deepak and Anne Christine talk about:
- Lessons learned from other countries fighting oppression
- The need for a big tent to include more voices in our democracy
- Getting information into the hands of people who can amplify the message of the fight against Project 2025
- Overcoming voter fatigue
- Worst-case planning
#StoptheCoup2025 @TheDemLabs #HumanRights #Democracy
StoptheCoup2025.org
TheDemLabs.org
Sean Duggan, Founder of SD Media has seen many political cycles as Vice President of Advertising at Pandora and SiriusXM. He notes that it is curious how some of the presidential candidates are relying so heavily on television ads. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
We talk about:
- The pace of buying digital ads for the 2024 primaries
- Competition for campaign advertising dollars
- Value of audio ads and advertising on podcasts
- Use of AI by political consultants and agencies
- Addressing the threats to campaigns from foreign interference
#PoliticalAds #DigitalAds #AI #VoterPersuasion #Election2024
LinkedIn Profile for Sean Duggan
David Riedman, Founder and Independent Researcher of the K-12 School Shooting Database, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to peel back the layers of the challenges of predicting and preventing school shootings. One significant step is to collect data and fill in the missing pieces to get a better sense of who is most at risk of being involved in a school shooting and actions that can be taken to protect students and staff.
Deepak and David talk about:
- Differences between mass shootings and school shootings
- Getting a holistic picture of gun violence on school properties and imaging possible scenarios
- Understanding the drivers that lead to school shootings
- Danger of swatting calls to report false threats of school shootings
- Lessons learned from counter-terrorism to reduce school shootings
#K12ssdb @TheDemLabs #GunViolence #SchoolShootings #MassShootings
K12ssdb.org
TheDemLabs.org
Matt Krayton, Founder of Publitics, shines a light on the need for a management structure in political campaigns as much as in a business. Starting from the digital perspective, Matt has developed the InfluenceIQ approach, a unified framework to break down silos for making better campaign decisions.
We talk about:
- Mechanisms for making decisions to execute on strategy
- Preparing for rapid response and when to do nothing
- Targeting voters across platforms and where to allocate resources
- Value of social listening for developing messages
- How to combat misinformation and disinformation and the need for third-party validation to push back
- Fighting disengagement of voters
#Publitics #PoliticalCampaigns #Voters #RapidResponse #Election2024
Publitics.com
Brian Hansbury, part of the leadership team at The Media and Democracy Project, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to shine a light on the role of local journalists in maintaining a strong democracy. Advocating for public policy solutions that benefit local communities and support diverse opinions, this group is surgically raising awareness about the consequences of lies from broadcasters and offering ways for citizens to have their voices heard.
Deepak and Brian talk about:
- How citizens can take on sources of disinformation and those normalizing bad actors
- Role of the FCC in restricting misconduct and news distortion by companies with a broadcast license like FOX Corporation
- News and information is a public good and needs to be supported because a common set of facts is necessary to solve problems
#MediaandDemocracyProject #TheDemLabs #GrassrootsOrganizing #Organizing #FCC #LocalJournalism #CitizenActivism #Activism
The Media and Democracy Project
TheDemLabs.org
Alexis Posey, Chief Campaign Officer at The Center for Cultural Power and Political Director of the Cultural Engagement Lab, talks with Deepak Puri of The Democracy Labs about how narratives impact voter opinions. The Cultural Engagement Lab commissions a network of artists and creative people from underserved communities to use their storytelling skills to support advocates, candidates, and civic engagement efforts. All activities aim to bridge the gap between cultural and political organizing to reach people of all ages.
Deepak and Alexis talk about:
- How experienced artists are creating more compelling campaign messages
- Integrating a cultural strategy into campaigns to drive social justice
- How to engage a multi-cultural coalition
- Understanding communities at the local level needed to tell compelling narratives
- Influencing policy through creative visual and audio depictions of the story to engage voters in the issue
@CulturalEngagement #CulturalEngagementLab #TheDemLabs #CulturalPower #Organizing #CulturalNarratives
EngagementLab.org
TheDemLabs.org
Dr. Joe Tucker, CEO of Enveric Biosciences, shines a light on the challenges of those working with psychedelic therapies to inform legislators about the need for regulation to gain acceptance for the use of these molecules for medicinal purposes. In this era of increasing mental health awareness and neurodegenerative diseases, research on the unique characteristics of hallucinogenic and non-hallucinogenic drugs shows the potential to meet unmet medical needs effectively.
We talk about:
- The greatest need for psilocybin-based therapies
- How drug developers are making psychedelic therapies that are safer and more accessible
- Why these therapies need to be regulated
- What elected officials can do to encourage more research
#Enveric #PsilocybinBasedTherapies #Psilocybin #PsychedelicTherapies #Psychedelics
Enveric.com
Andrea Miller, Center for Common Ground joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to highlight the results of the recent election in Virginia and the impact of early voting on the outcome. As seen around the country, even school board races were contentious.
Deepak and Andrea talk about:
- The variations in the Virginia election results in this diverse state
- The value of political television ads
- Voter suppression tactics
- Postcarding campaigns
- Plans for 2024
@CTR4CMNGround #VAElection #EarlyVoting #GOTV @TheDemLabs
CenterforCommonGround.org
TheDemLabs.org
Edward Erikson, Founder and President of Erikson Communication Group, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the possibilities of finding common interests and ways to unite local communities. As a political consultant, Edward emphasizes the value of snowball organizing to find additional supporters and the need to keep testing new methods to reach voters.
Deepak and Edward talk about:
- Finding common ground with voters in this partisan environment
- Role of social media and local media to educate about issues
- Mistakes candidates make in telling their story
- Rapid response and when not to respond
- Challenges for first-time candidates
#EriksonGroup @TheDemLabs #Voters #VoterEngagement #Organizing #RapidResponse #Childcare #WorkForce
EriksonGroup.com
TheDemLabs.org
Josh Justice, CEO of Peerly, has been working on an AI tool for managing and responding to the volume of text messages exchanged using the Peerly peer-to-peer texting platform. Now widely available, AMP {AI} enhances the value of voter engagement and provides rich data that reveals sentiment and real-time interest.
We talk about:
- The changing nature of voter engagement
- Optimizing voter targeting based on responses to text messages
- The shift from generic campaign messages to personalized messaging
- Managing follow-ups to requests and opt-outs
- How AI changes the role of volunteers and campaign staffers
#Peerly #AI #AMPAI #P2PTexting #P2P #VoterEngagement #VoterSegmentation #VoterOutreach
Peerly.com
Peerly.com/amp-ai
Molly Rima Hoopes, Senior Political Account Executive, Division D at VoterX, is working in the expanding arena where targeting and media offer new options for finding and persuading voters. Though traditional media buyers are still buying linear TV ads, cross-screen reach and targeting opportunities offer incremental reach for campaigns to find cord-cutters, deliver a call to action to specific audiences, and supply metrics about engagement for building relationships.
We talk about:
- Cross-screen reach and need for appropriate creative for each viewing experience
- Programmatic social display ad buying on social media to reach beyond the base
- Rich media formats that have been developed to increase voter engagement
- Targeting opportunities to reach new and low-propensity voters
- How Influencer marketing is being used in political campaigns
#VoterX #PoliticalAds #DigitalAds #Fundraising #Organizing #VoterPersuasion #VoterEngagement #PoliticalCampaigns #Election2024
VoterX.com
Gina Keller, Co-Founder of Distill Social, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to highlight how social media is used for grassroots activities in Michigan to drive voter awareness, voter registration, and turnout. Gina shares insights about using TikTok to offer something as simple as a sticker to raise interest and enthusiasm.
Deepak and Gina talk about:
- Building emotional connections with voters
- How content is shared on TikTok, Instagram, and other social media sites
- Turning words into visuals
- Multi-layered approach including online ads and organic content is needed to talk to those beyond the base
- Improving the chance of content to go viral
- Organizing online versus walking the neighborhood
#DistillSocial #Organizing #TikTokforOrganizing #RelationalOrganizing #OnlineAdvertising #PoliticalAds #Election2024 @TheDemLabs
DistillSocial.com
TheDemLabs.org
Richard Rose and Raymond McClendon Communities United for Justice join Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to review relational organizing using local leaders to build awareness about candidates and ballot initiatives. The topic is how grassroots organizers are using digital and traditional tools to build robust networks of organizations targeting specific voters to get out the vote. Richard and Raymond have started in Georgia, moving from there to demonstrate the power of collaboration to win elections.
Deepak. Richard and Raymond talk about:
- Competition to get voters excited about voting
- Voter mobilization, particularly of younger voters
- Fighting disinformation and misinformation about candidates and issues
- Using social media and text to build relationships with voters
#Cu4Justice @TheDemLabs #GOTV #Organizing #VoterTurnout #GrassrootsOrganizing #Mobilization
Cu4Justice.com
TheDemLabs.org
Matthew Hildreth, Executive Director of Rural Organizing, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to identify the elements of rural communities often missed by candidates in their search for voters. With a background in broadcasting and local engagement, Matthew points out the need for more funding for organizing in rural areas and leadership development at the local level.
Deepak and Matthew talk about:
- Growing the Democratic brand in rural communities
- Organizing in rural areas
- What campaigns do not understand about rural voters
- Civic infrastructure in rural areas
- The good and the bad of local media
#RuralOrganizing #RuralVoters #Organizing #Fundraising #Election2024 @TheDemLabs
RuralOrganizing.org
TheDemLabs.org
Rachel Levy, candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates in the November 2023 election, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to provide a view from the front lines of running for office in a primarily rural, newly drawn district. Rachel is an activist, teacher, mom, wife, and candidate with a strong sense of the need for civic engagement to fight extremism.
Deepak and Rachel talk about:
- Diversity in rural communities
- Techniques that work for outreach and canvasing in a mostly rural conservative district
- Issues most important to rural and small-town voters
- Encouraging civic engagement
- Driving GOTV
#RachelForDelegate #VA59thDistrict #VAElection2023 #GOTV
RachelforDelegate.org
TheDemLabs.org
Michael Kaiser is the President and CEO of Defending Digital Campaigns, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization working with Federal campaigns to secure their organizations and staff against cybercrime. DDC is providing free and low-cost security tools not counted as a campaign contribution with special permission by the FEC because unsafe political campaign practices are seen as a national security threat.
We talk about
- Most significant cyber threats to political campaigns
- What cyber bad actors are trying to accomplish
- Security tools that DDC is making available to campaigns, staffers, candidates and their family members
- Focusing on what might happen, not what could happen
- Expanding this model to state and local races
#DefendingDigitalCampaigns #DDC #2024Elections #PoliticalCampaigns #AI #Deepfakes #Disinformation #Misinformation #Cybersecurity #CampaignTech
DefendCampaigns.org
Holli Holliday, lawyer and President of Sisters Lead Sisters Vote, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to shine a light on the obstacles that are part of the system that keep first-time candidates from succeeding. While candidates supported by the established parties are told about access to voter lists and committee support, newcomers are often not aware of the resources that are available for fundraising and organizing.
Deepak and Holli talk about
- Paths to leadership development
- Overcoming the unknowns for women thinking about running for office
- Why leaders need to show up and not just rely on grassroots supporters
- Identifying and amplifying community problems using visualization tools and maps
- Examples of Black women leaders
- The power of collective thought to bring about change
#SistersLeadSistersVote #PoliticalCampaigns #WomenCandidates #BlackWomenLeaders #Leadership @TheDemLabs @Hollileshae
SistersLeadSistersVote.org
TheDemLabs.org
Annabel Roubinowitz, a high school senior living in San Francisco, surveyed her Gen-Z cohorts to find out what issues they are concerned about and why they do or do not vote. While young people seem excited about hot-button issues like reproductive rights and gun control, they are not registering to vote or turning out to vote in expected numbers. Annabel's research sheds some light on how candidates can tap into this rage and enthusiasm to engage more Gen-Z to vote.
We talk about:
- What turns Gen-Z off about voting
- What issues are relevant to Gen-Z post-COVID
- Advancing from online activism to voting
- Advice for candidates to get the attention of Gen-Z
- Role of peer pressure to change behavior and attitudes
- The podcast tbh: by, about, and for teenagers podcast Annabel did as part of the KALW Public Media project
#GenZ #Activism #KALW #BradyCenter #YoungVoters #GOTV #GunControl #ClimateChange #ReproductiveRights
https://www.kalw.org/podcast/tbh-made-by-about-and-for-teenagers/2023-08-24/why-gen-z-activism-isnt-reflected-in-voter-turnout
Cassie Choi, Co-Founder of the Pair Team, is focused on the challenge of finding available and affordable childcare for high-risk and high-need populations and the actions that can be taken to improve the health of families. As a White House Clinician Innovators Roundtable member, Cassie is looking at the health ecosystem and how to drive civic engagement from all stakeholders to help advance healthcare needs. As a nurse and entrepreneur, Cassis is advocating for childcare with the Biden administration to stimulate innovation at the state and local levels to address childcare needs and better understand how that affects the social determinants of the health of their populations.
We talk about:
- Movers of health equity and which communities are most affected by the lack of childcare resources
- Raising awareness about unmet childcare and eldercare needs
- National, state, and local activities to address childcare and whole-person healthcare of at-risk communities
- Connection between social determinants of health and available childcare
- Reducing obstacles to getting funding for local organizations to provide healthcare and childcare
#PairTeam #HealthEquity #Childcare #SDOH #SocialDeterminantsofHealth #PublicPolicy #Medicaid #VirtualFirst
PairTeam.com
Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, brings his technical skills to applying AI to dense text to make it accessible to a broader audience. This episode includes a sample of turning text-to-audio from the introduction of the Georgia indictment of election fraud and demonstrates the limitations and opportunities for a tool like Audyo.ai.
We talk about:
- Creating a rapid response to breaking news by using AI-based apps to turn text into a voice of choice
- Fighting voter apathy with short, understandable content that drives action on the local level
- Best practices for using generative AI in political and advocacy campaigns
@TheDemLabs #AI #TexttoAudio #PoliticalMessaging #VoterApathy
TheDemLabs.org
Audyo.ai
Yemi Adewunmi is the Co-Founder and COO of Plural, part of the Higher Ground Labs portfolio of companies. Plural has recognized the opportunity to apply AI to track the discovery, creation, and iterations of legislation at the congressional and state level to inform a number of different stakeholders. Based on her experience working at the New York State Legislature, Yemi and her team provide tools to change how policy data can be viewed to identify trends and opportunities and aid collaboration.
We talk about:
- Opportunities to unlock the power of legislative intelligence when the legislative process is more transparent
- The value of real-time information and alerts about the progress of legislation for those in the opposition
- Learning from the mistakes and successes of other state legislatures
- Value of their free offering to become acquainted with the AI tool
- The future of AI in influencing public policy
#PluralPolicy #Legislation #LegislativeTracking #PublicPolicy #AI #AILegislativeTracking #AIAlerts #Activism
PluralPolicy.com
Joann Loulan, Executive Director of Local Majority, joins Deepak Puri, CEO, of The Democracy Labs, in a story about activism at the state level and the need to pay attention to what state legislatures are doing. Local Majority is promoting research from subject experts to counteract the influences of misleading and disinformation at the state and local levels.
Deepak and Joann discuss:
- Why well-documented research is essential to dispelling misinformation and disinformation about the activities of state legislatures
- Use of rolling billboards to promote candidates and highlight local issues
- Finding and engaging specific voters to motivate them to take an interest in state and local candidates
- Who is taking responsibility for infrastructure projects
#BlueforYou #LocalMajority @TheDemLabs #Activism #Disinformation #Misinformation #LocalPolitics
BlueforYou.org
TheDemLabs.org
Beth Dwyer, Vice President of Sales at Dotdash Meredith's MNI Targeted Media, worked for the Washington Post and Politico on the corporate side. Beth came to political adverting in 2017 when she realized the role digital advertising could play in political campaigns. She notes the changes since 2020 in the amount of money spent on digital ads and when that money will be spent to reach voters in 2024. Because of the fragmentation in the ad market, programmatic demonstrates that ad buys should be less about where the voter is and more about reaching the desired audience using data points outside of traditional voter data to understand voter behavior and target opportunities.
We talk about:
- Advantages of digital ads over linear tv ads
- Targeting voters using programmatic, OTT/CTV, and social media
- Availability of ad inventory across the web
- Need to talk to young voters and Hispanic and African-American communities
- Most desirable online audiences in 2024
- Use of AI in political advertising and building relationships with voters
#MNI #PoliticalAds #PoliticalAdvertising #Election2024 #AI #ProgrammaticAdBuys #TargetingVoters
MNI.com
Jess Ellis, Senior Specialist, Client Partnerships, Politics VDX.tv, gives an orientation on how political tv advertising has expanded to include a significant investment in connected tv ads. To reach cord-cutters, campaigns increasingly realize that CTV ads find voters on the right screen at the right time to persuade, inform, and mobilize. Streaming video allows for specific targeting of voters compared to buying ads on linear tv in expensive media markets. Digital video ads reach people where they are throughout the day and give the advertiser the ability to interact and follow up.
We talk about:
- Why CTV is a powerful medium for reaching audiences
- Whether CTV ad buys are coming from the tv or digital media budgets
- Creative options for interactive ads run on CTV
- Using multilingual ads and influencers to target specific audiences
- Need to experiment with CTV to determine message and targeting effectiveness
#PoliticalAdvertising #Election2024 #CTVads #CTV #DigitalAdSpend #PoliticalTrends #PoliticalCampaigns #DigitalAds #Voters
VDX.tv
Alshika Jennela, Program Manager Mis/Disinformation at Indian American Impact, and Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, TheDemLabs.org, talk about how WhatsApp is used by people all around the globe. It is seen as a trusted source of news from friends and family while, at the same time, a source of disinformation. With deep insights into the Indian American and South Asian American communities, they highlight how activists are working to present facts and correct misinformation and disinformation spreading on social media.
Deepak and Alshika discuss:
- Lessons learned from the spread of misinformation during COVID
- Who is using WhatsApp
- How disinformation related to politics is spreading on social media
- How to fight mis/disinformation within minority communities
@IA_Impact @TheDemLabs #WhatsApp #Disinformation #Misinformation #IndianAmerican #SouthAsianAmerican
IAImpact.org Desifacts.org Meedan.org
TheDemLabs.org
Ray Kingman, CEO and Founder of Semcasting, a data service company, is taking voter files to the next level by including more relevant data to support digital marketing in political campaigns. Their cookie-free approach uses IP delivery points, device information, email, and offline data and matches to online activity and other known voter characteristics. They are testing a digital activity scoring system and different new twists on the data to allow campaigns to create discussions with voters and not just display messages.
We talk about:
- Improving the reach of digital political ads
- Value of the constellation approach to finding voters
- Designing a more effective media mix to target and reach the desired audience
- Why understanding early voters means saving money on later media buys and improving outcomes
- Authorized use of voter files
@Semcasting #TargetingVoters #DigitalIdentities #PoliticalCampaigns #Voters #CTV #PoliticalAds
Semcasting.com
Lauren Kunis, CEO of VoteRiders, and Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, TheDemLabs.org, talk about the various voter ID laws that prevent or intimidate eligible Americans from casting a ballot that is counted. VoteRiders has a nationwide network to provide voter ID education and assistance to get the form of ID that is accepted to register and vote.
Deepak and Lauren discuss
- State-by-state challenges of getting an acceptable ID to register to vote
- Why underrepresented communities are the hardest hit by voter suppression tactics
- Building a voting public that is more representative of the population
- Need for site-based voter ID assistance to expand the electorate
- Lifting language barriers by providing resources in Spanish and other local languages
@VoteRiders @TheDemLabs #VoterID #VoterSuppression #Voters #Gerrymandering #DemographicGerrymandering
VoteRiders.org
TheDemLabs.org
Julia Bayer, solution engineer National Government team & Michelle Kinzer, Public Policy Team of Esri, join Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the power of geographic information to gain a greater understanding of problems and as a means to engage voters in solutions. They emphasize we all share location and a sense of place, and maps can present facts and persuade viewers to broaden their view.
Deepak talks with Julia and Michelle about:
- What maps can communicate
- How GIS can be used by campaigns to visualize voter trends and identify new target demographics
- Why GIS tools are being used by more campaigns and government entities
- Using StoryMaps for persuasion to localize data and present a personalized view of issues
- Integrating visualization and dynamic maps into the dashboard driving campaign decisions
@Esri @ThDemLabs #GIS #Maps #TargetingVoters #Visualization #Misinformation #Persuasion #Voters #PoliticalCampaigns
Esri.com
TheDemLabs.org
Ineke Mushovic, Executive Director of Wide Angle Research and Republican Rule, and Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, agree that candidates from the top of the ballot to the bottom can productively use strong images and provocative ads to draw in voters and drive a call to action. The Wide Angle Research approach brings video and storytelling techniques to down-ballot races and advocates looking to educate and persuade.
Deepak and Ineke talk about:
- Use of political and advocacy ads to paint a dystopian view
- Need to tie issues together to make the point to voters
- Framing issues to tap into fear and an emotional response
- Using fear productively
- Making the argument in a concise and memorable way
@TheDemLabs #WideAngleResearch #PoliticalAds #VoterPersuasion
WideAngleResearch.org
RepublicanRule.org
TheDemLabs.org
Sean Duggan, VP of Advertising at SXM Media, is known for his ability to spot trends and work with clients to deploy audio ads to reach voters and constituents effectively. While digital ad budgets have grown for campaigns and advocacy groups, spending on podcast advertising has yet to take off. This is another example of consumer advertisers embracing new ad formats while the political community hesitates to experiment.
Sean and I talk about:
- Opportunities for advertising on podcasts
- Unique targeting available for podcast ads
- Advocacy groups that experimented and now expanding their podcast advertising budget
- Campaign 2024 digital media budgets and ad inventory
@SXMMediaGroup #PoliticalAds #PodcastAdvertising #TargetingVoters #Election2024
SXMmedia.com/ad-solutions
Ashley Robinson, Founder and Principal of the BLUE Institute, and Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, agree that politics is the business of change. During the 2018 midterm in Georgia, Ashley was the Political Director for Stacy Abrams' gubernatorial campaign and, throughout her career, has driven registration efforts and GOTV with key constituents of color.
Ashley and Deepak talk about:
- The need to try new things in campaigns and think outside the box to address complex problems
- The market needs that BLUE Institute is addressing
- Why testing is essential to find the right words to get people involved
- Diversity in a campaign staff means better communication with voters
- Georgia politics, redistricting, and gerrymandering
@theBLUEInstitute @TheDemLabs #GOTV #GeorgiaPolitics #StacyAbrams #VoterTurnout #VotersofColor
The BLUE Institute
TheDemLabs.org
Dave Barbush, Founder and CEO of Once A Soldier, and Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, discuss the need to address the scope and significant impact of death by suicide by veterans and ways to prevent it. Dave has a background in online outreach and has used these skills to start this virtual non-profit to raise money and awareness and provide resources to help limit the emotional and financial scars for families and friends.
Dave and Deepak talk about:
- The difference between the prevention of veteran suicides and the postvention needed to help family and loved ones recover when a veteran has committed suicide
- What suicide victims leave behind for the veteran family members
- Crisis funding to cover bills
- Caring out final wishes
- Steps the VA can take to make sure families of veteran suicides get all the benefits they deserve
#OnceASoldier @TheDemLabs #Veterans #VeteranSuicide #MemorialDay #VA #Suicide
OnceASoldier.org
TheDemLabs.org
Allen Carroll, Program Manager for Storytelling at Esri, talks with Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, about using mapping and visualization to tell compelling stories and drive change. Allen moved to Esri after 27 years at the National Geographic Society, where he gained a deep appreciation of the power of GIS data and maps.
Allen and Deepak talk about:
- Developing the Esri storytelling app StoryMaps to generate interactive maps with multimedia content to tell place-based stories
- Sources of data to develop visualization of neighborhoods and communities to identify opportunities and problems
- Bringing GIS tools to a broader audience to engage constituents and enable real-time tracking of activities
@ArcGISStoryMaps @Esri @TheDemLabs #GIS #Visualization #Maps #Mapping #StoryMaps
Esri.com
Storymaps.arcgis.com
TheDemLabs.org
Mira Weinstein, Organizer in Chief at Organizing to Win, and Deepak Puri, The Democracy Labs, discuss the challenging topic of power. They agree that strategic campaigns must go beyond winning to develop the power that can bring about real change.
Mira and Deepak talk about:
- The relational dynamic of power
- What motivates organizers and activists to gain power
- Impact of extending power to a broader population
- Tools for organizing and mobilizing
#OrganizingToWin @TheDemLabs #Organizing #BuildPower #StrategicOrganizingCampaigns #OrganizingEducation #DisruptingWhiteSupremacyCulture
OrganizingtoWin.net
TheDemLab.org
Clinton Johnson is the Social Justice/Racial Equity Lead at Esri and an advocate for using GIS and visualization tools to highlight social challenges and opportunities for improvement. Clinton and Deepak Puri, The Democracy Labs, explore the kinds of data that can make a difference in understanding a problem and put it in a form that can lead to action. Clinton and Deepak share a deep appreciation for geospatial technology and the power of GIS to drill down to a neighborhood level to help organizations better allocate resources.
Clinton and Deepak talk about:
- Driving community engagement with a data-driven approach
- GIS tools to determine the best use of limited resources
- Need for extensive data points that can be used to achieve the granularity needed to identify problems
- Role of visualization to identify hidden gaps in services and opportunities
@Esri @TheDemLabs #GIS #Visualization #SocialJustice #RacialEquity
Esri.com
TheDemLabs.org
Dan Gerstein, CEO of Gotham Ghostwriters, shares his reflections about how and why elected officials, candidates, and advocates use ghostwriting services to create impactful speeches, books, op-eds, and other projects.
We talk about:
- Working with Governor Hochul on her State of the State book
- Sweet spot for the length of a live and video speech
- Use of humor in political communication
- How the language of politics has changed
- Mistakes speechwriters make when coming up with the right words to reach voters
@GothamGhosts #Ghostwriters #PoliticalSpeeches #Voters
GothamGhostWriters.com
Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, talks with Colin Delany, Epolitics.com, about how internet use has changed over the years and the mistakes that campaigns make when using this tool. Colin reflects on best practices and tactical actions in his newly revised e-book How to use the Internet to change the world and win elections.
Deepak and Colin talk about:
- Fundraising best practices
- Content that compels people to take action
- Value of listening and gossip
- Smart digital media buying strategies
- Impact of AI on political campaigns
#ColinDelany #Epolitics @TheDemLabs #Fundraising #Voters #DigitalAds #AI #Mobilization
epolitics.com
TheDemLabs.org
Nick Unger Co-Founder of DemCast talks with Deepak Puri, The Democracy Labs, about organizing tools for campaigns and advocates that empower volunteers. Their social media toolkits help campaigns gain momentum, provide a method for rapid response and build relationships with a broader universe of voters.
Nick and Deepak talk about:
- Driving social media actions
- Need for speed to get attention for a topic
- Volume of people who share a message essential to see change
- The power of amplification through grassroots messengers
#DemCast @TheDemLabs #Organizing #SocialMedia #Voters #Grassroots
DemCast.com
TheDemLabs.org
Sandra Radoff, Co-Director of Students for Justice, talks with Deepak Puri, The Democracy Labs, about a grassroots effort that grew out of the challenges and opportunities created by COVID. The Students for Justice started with an idea about overcoming restrictions in the earliest days of the pandemic. It is now an organization that provides paid internships to college students to introduce them to career opportunities in politics and advocacy.
Deepak and Sandra talk about:
- The under-utilized power of students for political campaigns and to strengthen democracy
- College students targeted by the organization to participate in paid internships
- Role of adult mentors to help students find their place in the political process
- Opportunities for organizing, campaigning, and direct field exposure for students
- Recruiting students and virtual house parties
- Growth of voter outreach on social media
- Value of a virtual and hybrid approach to engage student interns
@VoteSFJ #StudentsforJustice #VoteSFJ @TheDemLabs #GrassrootsOrganizing #VoterOutreach
StudentsforJusticeVote.org
TheDemLabs.org
David Lytel, Founder of Majority Messaging, has extensive experience using digital tools to persuade and motivate voters, starting with serving in the Clinton White House and being responsible for the first websites. Investing in quality e-mail lists is the starting point of an effective campaign to reach those most likely to contribute, volunteer, and turn out to vote. Strategies include buying lists of names of voters and testing to determine the value of those names.
We talk about:
- Targeting e-mail lists to reach voters and the nationalization of campaigns
- Ecology of online fundraising
- Value of e-mails sent to previous donors
- Why the Subject line is crucial
- Strategies for building e-mail lists
- Challenges of moving from e-mail to text
#MajorityMessaging #Email #Fundraising #OnlineFundraising #Voters #GOTV
MajorityMessaging.com
Sara Schreiber is the Executive Director at America Votes coordinating the activities of progressive groups. Strategies for engaging voters have widened as the options for voting have expanded. America Votes educates people of all ages about the need to vote, finding them where they are throughout the day. Sara emphasizes that connecting with voters on issues is one way to persuade Independent voters, a growing segment of the electorate.
We talk about:
- The Blue Surge Electorate in 2020 and 2022 and the potential for 2024
- Engaging voters who are digital natives
- Need for in-person one-to-one conversations
- Turning voting into a habit
- Increase in the number of Independent voters, particularly in swing states
- What will drive voter turnout in 2024
@AmericaVotes #VoterTurnout #GOTV #IndependentVoters #ProgressiveVoters
AmericaVotes.org
Po Murray, Founder and Chairwoman of Newtown Action Alliance, joins Deepak Puri in an interview about ending gun violence. After the shooting at her local Sandy Hook Elementary School, Po took a fresh look at gun control and the role she could play in keeping weapons of war out of the hands of civilians like her neighbor who shot and murdered 26 people that day.
Po and Deepak discuss:
- Working with survivors of gun violence to create a sea change in the dialogue about guns
- Role of revenue from the sales of weapons of war in lobbying for relaxed gun laws
- Marketing of assault weapons to young people
- Need for individuals to speak up to their elected officials about the need for an assault weapon ban
- Lunch lobby sessions to urge Congress and other elected officials to act
@NewtownAction @NewtownActionAlliance #EndGunViolence #HonorWithAction #BanAssaultWeapons #BanWeaponsOfWar #GunControl @TheDemLabs
Monday Lunch and Lobby sessions: Newtown Action Alliance.org/endgunviolence-lunch-lobby-days NewtownActionAlliance.org
TheDemLab.org
Heather Booth, Founder of the Jane Cooperative, talks with Deepak Puri about her current work and experience as an early activist in the civil and women's rights movements. Organizing abortion services In the pre-Roe years and participating in the Freedom Summer Project taught Heather the importance of community and speaking up. As Founder of the Midwest Academy, Heather has influenced and instructed many of the leading Democratic leaders of our time.
Heather and Deepak talk about:
- The history of protesting for civil rights and women's rights
- The creation of the Jane Collective and the documentary The Janes, and the feature film Call Jane
- Basics of organizing: members, message, money, and movement
- Wisconsin Supreme Court election
- The upcoming 50th anniversary of The Midwest Academy
- Advice for those who want to make a difference today
@hboothgo @thedemlabs #CivilRights #WomensRights #AbortionRights #RoevWade #Dobbs #Organizing #Grassroots #Volunteers #Protests #Protesting #WisconsinSupremeCourt
TheDemLabs.org
The Janes
Call Jane
The Midwest Academy
Heather Booth playing guitar for Fannie Lou Hammer and others during the Freedom Summer Project in Mississippi in 1964
Susan Pfieffer is an expert at using phone banks to organize and mobilize voters. As a veteran phone bank volunteer and manager, she explains how her group is working with volunteers to get the vote out for the Wisconsin Supreme Court Election.
Deepak Puri interviews Susan and they talk about:
- Successful phone banking best practices
- Using phone banking to organize and GOTV
- The impact from innovations in predictive dialers
- How volunteers can participate in virtual phone banking
@TheDemLabs #PhoneBanking #GOTV #Organizing #Volunteers #WisconsinSupremeCourt #Canvass
TheDemLabs.org
Zach Fang, Head of Sales and Business Development at Vocal Media, is enthusiastic about the opportunities for political and advocacy campaigns to tap into the power of online influencers. He is also excited about the chances for a diverse community of influencers to have their voices heard and to build stronger communities of interest.
We talk about:
- How influencer marketing is different from other paid media
- The ways candidates and advocates can work with influencers to produce authentic messages
- What happens if TikTok is banned
- What makes someone an influencer
- The use of filters and lenses to amplify a message across multiple communities
@Vocal_Creators #TikTok #Influencers #PoliticalAdvertising #InfluencerMarketing #YouTubeShorts #InstagramReels
Vocal.media
Vocal-Media.io
Andrea Miller, Center for Common Ground talks with Deepak Puri about grassroots efforts to reach disadvantaged voters and under-represented people to encourage them to vote. With a family background in activism, Andrea is continuing a tradition of providing accurate information about voting and elections.
They talk about:
- Organizing postcarding campaigns by engaging volunteers to send out handwritten postcards to drive registration and GOTV
- Using the physical mailing address to bridge the Digital Divide
- Turning out the Black and Hispanic vote
- Voter suppression and removing obstacles to voting
- The upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court special election
@CTR4CmnGround @TheDemLabs #Voters #VoterSuppression #BIPOC #GOTV #Postcarding #CampaignVolunteers #WisconsinSupremeCourt
CenterforCommonGround.org
TheDemLabs.org
Nicole Bateman, Research Manager USAFacts.org, is making government data available to bring facts to conversations about the economy and political policy. USAFacts focuses on improving timely access to government data to provide a more complete picture for Americans to contextualize the data. In 2023, much work must be done at the state and local levels to inform conversations about political issues with accurate facts from a trusted resource.
We talk about:
- Findings in the State of the Union in Numbers Report that reveal national averages can mask significant differences in how voters view the economy
- With the economy top of mind for most voters, the complete picture of inflation in 2022 and its impact on different voters
- Worker pay, labor force participation, availability of childcare, and unemployment rates
- Growing interest on social media in government data
@USAFacts #GovernmentData #Inflation #Voters #EconomicData
USAFacts.org
Taylor Salditch is the Interim Executive Director at Supermajority, a women's equality organization offering a wide range of opportunities for marginalized voters to get informed and have their voices heard. The values-based progressive agenda at Supermajority promotes the needs of women at the local and national levels with calls to action to address specific issues. With an interracial, intergenerational approach to building the community, Taylor emphasizes that what is good for women is good for everybody.
We talk about:
- Why women are the key to winning elections
- Building women's political power
- Keys to effective voter contact with women under 30
- Deep canvassing conversations
- Getting out the vote in 2022 using digital tools and phone calls to engage a broad community
- Goals for 2024 include engaging seven million young women
@Supermajority #Women #WomenAreVoting #Activism #Advocacy #WomensRights #GenderEquality #ProgressiveValues
Supermajority.com
Patti Russo, Executive Director of The Campaign School at Yale University, reports on the success of women elected officials who graduated from their program and the impact their success has on others thinking of running for office. Creating this radically collaborative non-partisan environment has opened the range of applicants interested in running for office and campaign management. In the early years, the average attendee was a white woman in her mid-40s, and now they are women of color in their mid-20s.
We talk about:
- What is driving women to run for office
- Encouraging more women of color to seek elective office
- Returning to the on-site intense summer training from remote and advantages and disadvantages of both
- Challenges that women candidates face
- What men bring along to their support of women candidates
@TCSYale #TheCampaignSchoolatYale #PoliticalCampaigns #WomenCandidates
Apply to the Summer Session of The Campaign School at Yale University June 12-16, 2023
TCSYale.org
prusso@tcsyale.org
Jono Kupferberg is the CEO of HubDialer, a virtual predictive dialer software that supports outreach efforts and GOTV by campaigns and advocacy groups. This process automates the dialing and personalizes the conversation for volunteers so that campaigns can build relationships with voters and supporters and encourage them to take an action.
We talk about:
- Taking this legacy brand into a new direction combining the old and new
- How physical phone banks have been replaced by virtual phone banking to let more volunteers participate in their selected allotted window of time
- Recruiting, organizing, and deploying volunteers
- The lasting impact of lessons learned about volunteers during the pandemic
- Recent new rules allowing predictive dialers to call mobile numbers
- Creative ways advocacy groups are using predictive dialers
- Impact of live conversations on whether a voter takes an action
#HubDialer #Autodialer #PredictiveDialer #CampaignVolunteers #Mobile #VoterOutreach #GOTV
hubdialer.com
Daryl Cagle is the Founder of Cagle Cartoons, a newspaper syndicate specializing in editorial cartoons and columnists. Despite the changing landscape of newspaper readership and editorial pages, political cartoons still effectively reach and persuade voters. These visual columnists are looking to make a point and persuade a reader, not just get a chuckle.
We talk about:
- The future of editorial pages in local newspapers
- Editorial cartoons driving letters to the editor
- Traditional reasons political campaigns do not use editorial cartoons and why they might be considered now to reach a broader audience
- How the RNC and DNC are using cartoons in their messaging
- Where editorial cartoons are used to educate students
- His experience working with the Muppets and as an editorial cartoonist
#CagleCartoons #EditorialCartoons #PoliticalCartoons #Newspapers #EditorialPages
Syndicate: CagleCartoons.com
Reader Site: Cagle.com
Matthew Hedberg, VP General Manager, Professional Services, at Semcasting shares what he expected to happen in the 2002 midterms and what really happened in the roll-out and targeting of political digital ad campaigns.
We talk about:
- Hesitancy of campaigns to buy digital ads early in the campaign cycle
- How campaigns factored in early voting audiences when determining digital ad spends
- The continuing reliance on traditional television ad campaigns
- Pros and cons of nationalization of campaigns to drive fundraising
- Early interest from down-ballot races in 2023 and national campaigns in 2024
@Semcasting #PoliticalAds #DigitalAds #Voters #Fundraising
Semcasting.com
Deepak Puri, Co-Founder and CEO, of The Democracy Labs, is a fan of using Homer Simpson and other cultural icons to reach a broader audience of voters. Deploying humor rather than outrage seems to be a reliable way to get voters to listen and consider another point of view. Also on Deepak's agenda are gun safety and gun violence, protecting voting rights, gerrymandering, and using data visualization to educate and engage voters on geographically relevant issues.
We talk about:
- How humor cuts across the political spectrum
- Breaking through the political commentary and negative ads using humor
- Using humor to sugar-coat discussions about challenging topics
- Mockery and satire
- Key players in the gun ecosystem and following the money to understand the big picture of criminal gun violence
@TheDemLabs #PoliticalHumor #VoterPersuasion #PoliticalAds #GunViolence #Gerrymandering
TheDemLabs.org
Steve Alembik, Founder of SMA Communications, has extensive experience in mining voter data to derive predictive models for persuasion, fundraising, and voter turnout. Steve is an experienced data scientist who reflects on Florida politics, voter touchpoints for political and PAC campaigns, and following the money.
We talk about:
- The staying power of incumbents and the limited number of competitive races
- Variety of modeling techniques and the issues that are probed in voter polls and surveys
- The explosion of data that is available about voters
- Driving interest in voting
- Surprises seen in close races in the 2022 Midterms
- Predicting the behavior of swing voters and ballot splitters
@SMAComm #PoliticalAds #VoterModeling #Voters #Fundraising #PersuadingVoters #GOTV #YoungVoters
SMAComm.com
Sean Duggan, VP of Advertising, SXM Media, talks about surprises and ongoing trends in the use of audio ads for political and advocacy campaigns. Decisions for media buys were delayed this year which meant that inventory was scarce, and campaigns found themselves making hasty decisions. The 2022 election cycle demonstrated that the audio audience could effectively be persuaded with compelling messages that leveraged geotargeting. This was particularly true in the most competitive congressional races.
We talk about:
- Impact of audio ads in the last few weeks of the midterm campaigns
- Campaigns that deployed GOTV takeovers of premium inventory in the hottest contested races meant a dominant share of voice
- Frequency and targeting best practices
- First election cycle with political ads on podcasts targeted at a state level
- The life cycle of the ads for ballot initiatives
- New and old mistakes that campaigns made in 2022 media buys
- Predictions for 2023 and 2024 advertising strategies
@SXMmediaGroup #VoterPersuasion #GOTV #AudioPoliticalAds #PodcastAds
SXMmedia.com/ad-solutions
Ben Katz is the Chief Architect at ISPolitical and a pioneer in using the internet and technology to solve challenges for political and advocacy campaigns. Working with hundreds of campaigns in 2022, Ben has seen some significant changes in this cycle and makes the point that all politics is not local anymore. With an emphasis on the accounting side, Ben points out the increasing difficulty of reporting contributions to federal and state authorities and the value of technology to scale operations to keep costs down so that donations are not eaten up by overhead.
We talk about:
- The increasing number of down-ballot races reaching out to raise money from a national audience, not just local voters
- Fundraising slates
- Celebrity status driving donations doesn't determine a winning campaign
- The reporting requirements for campaign contributions
- Value and costs of pursuing small-dollar donors
- 2024 races began the first week in November, even before the midterm election
- New challenges for future campaigns to cut through the noise
#ISPolitical #Fundraising #SmallDollarDonors #Midterms #2024Campaigns
ISPolitical.com
Henk Rogers is the Founder of the Blue Planet Alliance, an organization advocating for islands and countries around the world to legislatively mandate a commitment to 100% renewable energy by 2045. BPA is shining a light on how the use of fossil fuels particularly impacts island nations stressed by global inflation and limited resources. With a history as a computer game developer and publisher, Henk is looking for new and better ways to fight the good fight.
We talk about:
- The fossil fuel challenge and what it takes to get commitment to zero emissions
- Building alliances with stakeholders in local, national, and global communities to reach net zero
- Case study of success in Hawaii and replicating the model with large ocean states
- Unique challenges of providing energy on islands and finding alternative sources of renewable energy
- Role of consumers in advocating for environmental change
#BluePlanetAlliance #ZeroEmmissions #RenewableEnergy #NetZero #ClimateChange #LargeOceanStates #Hawaii
BluePlanetAlliance.org
David Fenton is the Founder of Fenton Communications, the first public relations firm dedicated to progressive social change. David has written a new book, The Activist's Media Handbook: Lessons From Fifty Years as a Progressive Agitator, based on his extensive experience working with politicians and celebrities. While the channels and styles for communicating political and advocacy messages are changing, the basic principles of communication remain the same. The way the brain processes words and images does not change though there are critical differences in how different individuals perceive a message. Currently, David is focusing his efforts on the climate movement and taking advantage of the web to drive action.
We talk about:
- The underground anti-war protests in the '60s
- Keys to mobilizing the public to support a cause
- The differences between crafting a message for Republican and Democratic voters
- The problem with "Woke" language
- Biggest campaign surprises and most inspiring and challenging clients
- Limitations of fragmented news sources and social media for activism and mobilization
- Advice for young activists to unify larger groups of people
@DFenton #DavidFenton #ClimateChange #Climate #ClimateJustice #Activism #PoliticalActivism #Democracy #Progressive #VoterMobilization
DavidFentonActivist.com
Scott Goodstein is the CEO and Founder of Catalyst Campaigns and is active in the war against spam. He sets the stage with a description of the early days of mass text messaging by the Obama campaign in 2008.
We talk about:
- Voter lists and targeting political text message spam
- Impact of texting moving from opt-in to spam
- Use of text messaging for consumer products versus use for political fundraising and persuasion
- Weaponizing peer-to-peer texting for political disinformation and fraudulent fundraising
- Changes in the rules surrounding political texting and inadequacies of 10DLC
- Role of the FCC in defining and determining legal use of political campaign texting
- Need for a DoNotText List with teeth
@CatalystCmpgns #10DLC #Peer2PeerTexting #P2PTexting #Fundraising #PoliticalDisinformation #Spam
CatalystCampaigns.com
Background on this issue: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/03/us/politics/senate-republican-committee-funds.html https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/disinformation-text-message-problem-answers-rcna41997 https://www.vox.com/2022/7/19/23268260/midterms-texting-10dlc-campaigns-optin-mobile https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3497156-how-the-fcc-can-protect-consumers-from-unwanted-political-text-message-spam/
Sally Lehrman is a journalist and Founder and CEO of The Trust Project, a global consortium of news organizations responding to the misinformation crisis. With support from Microsoft and other partners, The Trust Project has launched the National News Literacy campaign to address the need to rebuild voters' trust in journalists and highlight sources of misleading and disinformation.
We talk about
- Eight Trust Indicators to evaluate sources of information and opinions
- Assessing news sites and journalistic value of information
- Need for transparency to help differentiate between real news and click-bait
- The believability of news from real journalists, hyperpartisan news sources, and the impact of confusing posts on social media sites
- Educating the public about their ability to share accurate information and avoid misinformation
- The Anxious Middle of news consumers
@_TrustProject #TheTrustProject #Misinformation #Journalists #Journalism
TheTrustProject.org
Thomas Peters is the Founder and CEO of RumbleUp and has been in the peer-to-peer texting space for many cycles. Working with all the Republican committees, RumbleUp is offering a self-service texting program and turn-key solution that can be used to build a relationship with voters and be quickly deployed for rapid response. Now that social media companies have stricter rules about political ad campaigns, Thomas emphasizes the value of the phone carriers' campaign registration requirements to insure more reliable delivery of messages.
We talk about:
- How COVID stimulated the growth of political campaign interest in P2P texting
- Cost-effectiveness of using P2P for voter contact compared to traditional outreach
- Value of targeted P2P text campaigns for down-ballot races
- Best uses of enhanced video texting and value of EVT for extending the value of ads created for linear tv
- Challenge of cleaning up voter contact lists due to redistricting and wrong information
- Best practices for creating and sending P2P texts in different formats across the life of the campaign
@RumbleUp #P2P #EVT #VoterPersuasion #Fundraising #GOTV
RumbleUp.com
Scott Minkoff is an Associate Professor of Political Science at SUNY New Paltz and a co-author of Politics on Display: Yard Signs and the Politicization of Social Spaces. Taking a step back from focusing on virtual social interaction, Scott recognizes the impact of out-of-home campaign messaging, particularly yard signs for persuasion and increasing voter turnout.
We talk about:
- Who puts out a yard sign, and what message does a campaign yard sign communicate
- Most effective use of campaign yard signs
- How down-ballot political campaigns can benefit from using yard signs
- The past and future of campaign yard signs
- How yard sign research is conducted
#ScottMinkoff #PoliticalCampaigns #PoliticalAdvertising #YardSigns #OOHAdvertising #VoterPersuasion #GOTV
scottminkoff.com
Richard Greene, The Civics Dean, political strategist, and author of WTF are the Midterms, is driven to engage low-propensity voters by putting more specific names on the Midterm elections by focusing on what issues voters are most concerned about. Richard makes an argument that more civics education is needed to drive understanding of issues, how Congress works, and why registering and voting matters.
We talk about:
- The voices of women and the fight for reproductive rights
- Fundraising messaging and missed opportunities
- The basic math for the Democrats to keep the House and Senate
- Value of trusted celebrity influencers to get the attention of unlikely voters
- Using social media to reach voters with meaningful stories and reasons to vote
@TheCivicsDean #Fundraising #GOTV #Midterms #2022Midterm #Instagram #SocialInfluencers
Richard@WordsThatShooktheWorld.com
RichardGreene.org
Adam Probolsky is the President of Probolsky Research, a non-partisan market and opinion research firm and brings insights about consumer brand advertising to the political and advocacy campaign world. Adam brings a clear eye to the pollsters' job, the value of polling, and how that data should be used.
We talk about:
- Best time to plan and conduct public opinion and opposition research
- Using polling data to build the campaign brand and narrative
- How candidates project authenticity and the impact of polling data on the candidate's brand
- Finding the connection to voters
- Value of opinions posted on social media
- Best methods to drive responses to voter surveys
- Different polling techniques and timing for candidates and initiatives
@AdamProbolsky @ProbolskyRsrch #PublicOpinionResearch #Polling #VoterPolls #Election22
ProbolskyResearch.com
Josh Justice, President, Peerly, on how campaigns of all sizes use peer-to-peer texting to engage and motivate voters. With high response rates for rich media P2P texting, this is a cost-effective platform to do A/B testing and measure what messages and formats are working for each target audience.
We talk about:
- The evolution of P2P messages
- Why HDVideo peer-to-peer texting is taking off
- Advantages of P2P over traditional linear commercials and other digital ad formats
- Driving down the cost of P2P
- The need to have a follow-up to P2P campaigns
- 10DLC protocol and the Campaign Registry for verified trusted resources
@PeerlyInc #P2P #PeertoPeerTexting #Midterms #10DLC #VideoMMS
Peerly.com
John McClung is the Director of Sales at AdQuick an Out-of-Home network of diverse advertising inventory. This category of OOH advertising covers everything from bus benches to digital billboards to skywriting. AdQuick has created a system to allow political and advocacy campaigns to achieve their goals by targeting voters with ads when they are out and about.
We discuss:
- Advantages to advertising to people within a specific geography
- Hyper-targeting specific audiences and the benefits of OOH for State and local campaigns
- Restrictions to placement and messages using OOH
- Social sharing potential of OOH political ads
- Testing OOH messages, formats, and placement
- The world of OOH ad inventory
@AdQuick #OOH #OutofHome #GOTV #NameRecognition #Persuasion #Fundraising #PoliticalAdvertising #Billboards
AdQuick.com
Ethan Eilon, President of IMGE, reflects on how the digital landscape has changed between the 2018 and 2022 Midterms and what technology is working to reach donors and educate and persuade voters.
We talk about:
- The increasing interest in MMS and SMS
- Best practices for online fundraising
- The growing challenge to break through the noise to get access to voters
- Importance of frequency and messaging to get the attention of base and low-propensity voters
- Thinking strategically about the countdown to Election Day to make sure ballots are returned and voters show up at the polls
- Role of Web3, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrencies in political campaigns
@TeamIMGE #Fundraising #GOTV #WinRed #MidtermElections #2022Midterms #Voters #Web3 #Crypto #Blockchain #SMS #MMS
IMGE.com
Joe Rothstein is a political consultant with vast experience working with candidates and causes. He is also the author of political thrillers with his newest, The Moment of Menace: The Future looks glorious unless we all die first, just released in time for the summer reading season. This is a story of U.S. President Isabel Tennyson, a Latina-American heiress, which seemed fanciful in the first book in this series published in 2016. Having taken notes along the way in his 30-year career, Joe is intent on educating readers about issues facing our society and how democracy can survive while providing a good read.
Joe and I talk about:
- The real drama in political campaigns and the impact it can have on the candidate
- The evolution of Fringe Politics
- The changing nature of the spirit of competition between the parties
- Putting party affiliation into perspective and mobilizing voters in the current environment
- Sarah Palin's chance of being elected to the U.S. Congress
#PoliticalCampaigns #PoliticalThrillers #PoliticalParties #PresidentialPolitics #Election2022 #GOTV
The Moment of Menace by Joe Rothstein
newsmatics.com
Thad Kousser, Professor and Chair of political science at the University of California San Diego, is one of the authors of the just-released survey "Looking Ahead to November: How Will Reproductive Rights, Crime Rates and Top Two Dynamics Shape California's General Election. Thad is also the Co-Director of the Yankelovich Center for Social Science Research at UC San Diego, which conducted this survey that included nearly 3,000 Californians.
We talk about:
- Apathetic and disengaged voters
- Which voters are most likely to be persuaded to vote
- Most effective tactics to get voters to change their opinions about issues and intent to vote
- Differences between concerns of Democratic, Republican, and Independent voters
- Call to action to campaigns and organizations to increase their registration and mobilization efforts
@ThadKousser #UCSD #CaliforniaVoters #Midterms2022 #VoterApathy #GOTV #VoterTurnout
Looking Ahead to November Survey Results
Yankelovich Center for Social Science Research
Sean Duggan VP of Advertising SXM Media reflects on the advertising trends he sees playing out in the early primaries. While there was a slow start to ad buying for 2022 primary campaigns, interest is picking up for using audio ads to reach and persuade base voters as well as those not likely to vote in a mid-term election.
We talk about:
- The lingering impact of COVID on field operations and media planning
- The Los Angeles Mayor's race and what to expect in the general election campaign
- The growing interest in targeted advertising on podcasts
- Locations where ad inventory will be constrained for the general election in November 2022 due to high demand
@SXMMediaGroup #PoliticalAdvertising #PoliticalAds #PodcastAdvertising #Election2022 #Primaries2022
SXMMedia.com/ad-solutions
Noah Budnick, Executive Director, Together for Safer Roads is focused on bringing research and business expertise to the public sector to solve the complex problem of eliminating preventable traffic deaths.
We talk about:
- Why elected officials and government entities need to step up efforts to reduce preventable traffic fatalities
- The increase in the number of vulnerable people and kinds of vehicles using roads
- Is averting preventable road deaths a partisan issue?
- Use of AI and local insights to shed light on solutions to avoid traffic accidents
- Fleet safety and the strong demand for direct-vision vehicles and retrofitting vehicles with blind-zones
@TSRCoalition #RoadSafety #TrafficFatalities #PreventingTrafficFatalities #TrafficDeaths #TrafficAccidents
TogetherForSaferRoads.org
Eric Wilson is the Managing Partner of Startup Caucus, an investment fund and incubator for Republican campaign technology. Eric is also the host of the podcast The Business of Politics, a complementary podcast to this one.
Eric and I talk about:
- Most popular topics on his podcast for this dedicated audience that is looking for answers and insights
- New opportunities for investment in technology with specific party-affiliated solutions
- Which entrepreneurs are most likely to understand the opportunities for technology solutions to address political campaign needs
- The differences between Republican and Democratic campaigns and how they are applying technology
- Where Web3 is currently being used in campaigns and possible applications
@EricWilson #RepublicanCampaigns #Fundraising #PoliticalTechnology #Blockchain #Web3
StartupCaucus.com
Josh Justice is the President of Peerly, extending the capabilities of peer-to-peer texting and the effectiveness of campaign video messages sent to mobile devices. Josh points out the rapid growth of MMS technology and how it is being deployed to engage in two-way conversations directly with voters in real-time.
We talk about:
- The capabilities of the Peerly TruHD Video texting
- How text is changing political campaigns
- Disrupting the media distribution model for reaching voters
- Driving down costs of getting messages directly to a voter with conversion tracking
- Expectations of voters and advantages of sending and replying to campaign messages using text
@PeerlyInc #P2PTexting #PeertoPeerTexting #PolitcalTech #PoliticalMessaging #PoliticalTools #VoterEngagment
Peerly.com
Richard Greene, ¨The Civics Dean¨ is a political communication strategist, civics educator, attorney, and author. Richard sees opportunities and challenges in midterm elections which stimulated him to write the book WTF are The Midterms, and he has new concerns as we kick off the 2022 midterm season.
We talk about:
- the changing nature of public service
- need to micro-target messages, particularly to younger people, to encourage them to vote
- turning out single-issue voters using micro-engagement billification giving them specific reasons to vote
- need to teach civics literacy
- who doesn't vote in mid-terms and why not
@TheCivicsDean #Midterms #Civics #GOTV #PoliticalAds
WTFAreTheMidterms.com
RichardGreene.org
Recent post on Medium
Deepak Puri is the Co-Founder and CEO of San Francisco-based The Democracy Labs and an enthusiastic investigator of threats and challenges to our political process. He is also a fan of data and visualization technology that produces compelling maps and supports tracking relationships and connections, and keeping track of the sources of campaign donations. We talk about:
- Activities in Florida that disenfranchise voters
- What gerrymandering really means for minority voters
- The growing cast of characters and relationships in the January 6 insurrection investigation
- The sources of disinformation and the role of traditional and social media
- Connecting the dots of donors and campaigns to see the reach of influence using the relationship map app Kumu.io
@TheDemLabs #VoterSuppression #Gerrymandering #FLPolitics #Fundraising #Election2022
TheDemLabs.org
Seth David Radwell is the author of the Amazon bestselling book, American Schism: How the Two Enlightenments Hold the Secret to Healing Our Nation. He discusses his experience as a marketing executive and student of public policy and what concerns him about the strength of our democracy. He shares insights from his research around fighting unreason with reason with a historical view back to the Enlightenment and how those earlier divisions in our history are still part of the US political landscape.
We talk about:
- The conflicting views of the Moderates and the Radicals during Enlightenment that are still influencing the discussions and laws regarding the role of government and the rights of citizens
- What role do private-sector business leaders have in helping heal the American Schism and how should they decide which public policy issues to confront? How risky is it for them to stay silent?
- The counter-Enlightenment and the age of Trumpism
- How technology and digital media has changed the power of the government
- Whether highly partisan elected officials accurately represent the values of their constituents
- The impact of the pandemic and war in Ukraine on partisanship in the US
- What can be done to bring the reasonable exchange of ideas back to political discourse and how we talk to each other
#SethDavidRadwell #AmericanSchism #FUWR #FightingUnreasonWithReason
FUWR.org
AmericanSchismBook.com
Michael D. Cohen Ph.D. is the CEO of the Cohen Research Group, a political, public affairs and corporate research firm He is also the author of the book Modern Political Campaigns: How Professionalism, Technology and Speed Have Revolutionized Elections. Based on his own experience as a Republican party and campaign advisor, pollster, teacher, and researcher, this book connects many of the campaign and advocacy activities that are changing as a result of the move to a digital campaign environment.
We talk about:
- The broad audience for a book about political campaigns
- Transitioning from a traditional campaign to a digital approach for political and advocacy activities
- Value of data-driven targeting to efficiently find voters
- Building coalitions and tools that are driving GOTV
- Electronic campaigning and fundraising in the age of COVID-19
- How the Congress in your Pocket app is being deployed to enable voters to reach out directly to their members of Congress about Ukraine
@MichaelCohen @MPCampaigns @CiyP #PoliticalCampaigns #DigitalPolitics #Fundraising #COVID #GOTV #ElectronicCampaigning #StandWithUkraine
michaelcohen.us
Jesse Contario is the Director, Political and Advocacy at MiQ, a global programmatic media partner bringing integrated targeted ad solutions to an increasingly complex media landscape. We talk about:
- Permanent impact of the pandemic on how people are consuming media and expecting to be able to vote
- Sources of data to inform programmatic choices including Automated Content Recognition (ACR) data of real-time tv consumption
- Linear tv consumption versus the OTT and advanced and connected tv audience and the impact on political media budgets
- Using an omnichannel connected approach to address the changing media consumption habits of voters
- Opportunities for political campaigns to think about which media format is best suited for each message
- Leveraging new digital identifiers to drive incremental reach and higher frequency with high-impact creative multiscreen options
@WeAreMiq #DigitalPolitics #PoliticalAds #AdTech #PoliticalProgrammatic
WeAreMiQ.com
On LinkedIn
Richard Coffin is the Chief Product Officer at USAFacts which is making government data available and understandable for a larger audience. With the growth of fake news, this non-partisan, non-profit organization serves as a trusted source for Americans giving them access to the data and analysis generated by a wide range of government agencies.
We talk about
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The USAFacts Third Annual State of the Union in Numbers report which includes a variety of data points about the impact of COVID on categories including population growth, crime, inflation, and employment
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What questions still need to be asked and what are people asking about that is not available
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Challenges of getting timely data from State and local government agencies and who is still using paper documents and static PDF files
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Innovations for gathering more data faster and finding the best dataset to address a question
@USAFacts #StateoftheUnion #SOTU #COVID #COVIDImpact #GovernmentData
USAFacts.org
Emee Baldwin is a nursing student at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Founder of Poppy's Purpose, an advocacy group formed to guarantee that every patient has access to at least one personal advocate a day while in a hospital or nursing facility. This effort was driven by the death of her beloved grandfather, Poppy, isolated in the hospital with COVID-19.
Poppy was also the longtime Alabama Republican Party chief of staff and very active in the political community. With bi-partisan support, Emee and her family launched a campaign for giving patients access to caregivers. State legislators passed the Harold Sachs Act in 2021 to include compassionate care in health facility visitor policies. She is now looking to expand this effort nationwide. Emee is also competing in the Miss Alabama event this summer.
@Emee_Elizabeth #PoppysPurpose #COVID #COVID19 #PatientRights #HolisticMedicine
PoppysPurpose.org
Paul Wilson is the Chairman and CEO of Wilson Grand Communications and an expert on political strategy, persuasion, advertising, and traditional and digital media.
We talk about:
- The trend towards shorter and shorter messages
- The questionable lasting impression of short commercials
- The cost and downside of microtargeting ads to specific voters
- Insights from the Glenn Youngkin Virginia gubernatorial campaign
- Growth of campaign media budgets and where it is being spent
#PoliticalAds #Persuasion #PoliticalMessaging #CampaignMedia
WilsonGrand.com
Chris Jennewein is the Editor and Publisher of Times of San Diego and a print journalist and early new media pioneer. Chris has a personal goal to reach the largest audience possible with this local online news source by covering the diverse communities in San Diego as well as attracting readers from across the country and around the globe for news-breaking events. This ad-supported site has no paywall, no paid subscription, and offers a free daily newsletter. Chris emphasizes the popularity of online news sources particularly for local political, campaign, and election news.
We talk about:
- Changes in the coverage of local news with the growth of digital outlets and that high-quality content will win out
- Importance of hyper-local digital news sources and support of independent media
- Value of op-eds in the online world for candidates and advocates to provide detailed arguments to voters
- The influence of election-related online content on voters particularly for down-ballot races and the ability to target ads to specific readers
- Trends in the growth of independent online news publications and a historical perspective of news sources
@TimesofSanDiego #TimesofSanDiego #SanDiego #OnlineAdvertising #Hyperlocal #LocalNews
TimesofSanDiego.com
Mitch Gingrich is the President of Integrated Solutions Political and sees opportunities and challenges due to voter confusion and redistricting. Mitch emphasizes the need to clean up candidate fundraising and GOTV files so that they know who their potential voters really are and how constituents are currently seeing their affiliation with either party.
We talk about:
- Unique opportunities for new candidates in redistricted and competitive districts
- Value of donor base files and strategies for fundraising for candidates in redrawn districts
- Perils of nationalization of state and local campaigns to raise money
- Possibilities to out-organize perceived voter suppression and gerrymandering
- Value of online ads to target voters for fundraising, persuasion, and GOTV
@ISPolitical #Fundraising #Redistricting #DonorFiles #GOTV
ISPolitical.com
Poppy MacDonald is the President of USAFacts, a not-for-profit nonpartisan organization. Poppy has a broad vision of the importance of easy access to valid, timely government data for citizens to be well-informed. She points out that bringing publicly available data sources together and organizing the information is key to seeing emerging trends and understanding current and historical data.
We talk about:
- The changing demographics of American families since the 1940s
- Impact of the pandemic on the composition of family groupings and those living alone
- Where voters are finding trusted sources of information and the role of friends and family
- Re-building trust in government data as reported
- Preview of the USAFacts Third Annual State of the Union by the Numbers report
@USAFacts #Voters #AmericanFamilies #StateoftheUnion
USAFacts.org
Deepak Puri is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Democracy Labs and he reflects the impact of 1-6 on the spread of disinformation and the temporary and permanent changes that COVID has introduced into political and advocacy campaigns.
We talk about:
- Innovations in canvassing and using limited resources in the most effective way
- Opportunities from adding a QR code to door hangers now that people are becoming acquainted with scanning the code in restaurants
- Impact of January 6, 2021, on the spread of disinformation and voter suppression and the role of social media
- How technology can play a positive role by revealing a clearer picture with an interactive relationship map that allows the user to draw connections between individuals, places, and events to track activities and the money trail.
- Leveling the playing field on social media for all voices
@TheDemLabs #VoterSuppression #Disinformation #QRCodes
TheDemLabs.org
Free relationship mapping tool kumu.io
Sean Duggan is Vice President of Advertising at SXM Media and reflects on the role of political audio ads in the media mix. With more evidence from the 2021 campaigns and his background with Pandora, Sean sees opportunities to run ads for political and advocacy campaigns across the family of platforms that make up SXM Media.
We talk about:
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How COVID-related audio ads are tapering off from early 2021 but this new variant might drive another round of advertising as the game plan changes over the next 30 days
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Cross-promotion strategy of SiriusXM to reach target audiences for audio content and the size and reach of the SXM Media universe
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Seeing a delay in commitments for 2022 races probably because of uncertainties about where and when campaign resources should be spent due to the lingering pandemic challenges
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Expectations that there will be a limited supply of political audio ad inventory when demand turns on for big races in 2022.
@SXMmediagroup #2022Primaries #PoliticalAds #AdvocacyAds #AudioAds #MediaPlanning #PoliticalCampaigns #AdvocacyCampaigns #COVID19 #Pandemic
SXMMedia.com/ad-solutions
Martin Diego Garcia is the Vice President of Training and Strategic Planning at The Campaign Workshop and a seasoned political and advocacy expert. We talk about:
- Lessons learned from the virtual space to expand voter outreach efforts online as well as in-person in 2022
- The increasing demand for training for those participating in political and advocacy campaigns no matter the age or experience of the individuals
- Changes in the political and advocacy landscape and the digital tools that are driving engagement and improving volunteer and staff effectiveness
- Rise of candidates from the Hispanic, LGBT, and other marginalized communities and the opportunities to drive voter turnout from a larger universe.
@cmpwrkshp #PoliticalCampaigns #Advocacy #VirtualEvents #Hispanic #LGBT #Voters
TheCampaignWorkshop.com
Tim Kachuriak is the Founder and Chief Innovation Officer for NextAfter, a digital fundraising research lab, consultancy, and training institute. Their mission is to decode what works in fundraising to help non-profits, charities, and NGOs maximize support. We talk about:
- Looking for patterns in successful digital fundraising campaigns by mystery donor studies
- Applied research fundraising experiments that are revealing some of the myths of online fundraising
- Mapping the donor journey and the widely variant communication experiences donors have with organizations
- The under-recognized value of mid-level donors who give $1,000-$10,000
- Variety of reasons why people give and how to tap into those emotions
- How to strengthen the contribution ask with a better value proposition and the role of incentives
@NextAfter #Fundraising #Donors #AdvocacyCampaigns
NextAfter.com
Audra Grassia is the Managing Partner at Goodstock and Company, part of the Higher Ground Labs incubator class of 2021. With U.S. manufacturers and union printing, Goodstock has created an e-commerce platform for Democratic and Progressive campaigns to provide a tool to create and deliver merchandise that can appeal to a wide range of supporters.
We talk about:
- the value of campaign merchandise for fundraising, building name recognition, and community support
- most popular campaign items and the desire to creatively stand out
- the importance of tracking and reporting purchases of campaign gear
- why rapid response fulfillment and longer-term planning are both required for driving a strong response for new campaign offerings
@Goodstock_co #campaignmerch #campaignmerchandise #fundraising #HigherGroundLab
GoodstockCompany.com
Deepak Puri is Co-Founder and CEO of The Democracy Labs and he comes back on the show to shed some light on the gerrymandering efforts underway around the country to limit the voices of certain voters.
We talk about:
- how data analysis and GIS tools are being used by states to surgically create new districts to negatively impact minority voters
- the need to educate voters about the consequences of gerrymandering and what can still be done to influence final decisions
- the role of Facebook's ad revenue model in fueling anger in voters
- political advertising and organizing trends to watch in 2022
@TheDemLabs #TheDemLabs #Gerrymandering #GIS #Facebook #Organizing #PoliticalAds #Voters
TheDemLabs.org
Preston Tollinger is CEO of Bluelink, which is part of the Higher Ground Labs Cohort of 2021. Preston brings his knowledge of managing big data to the political world.
We talk about:
- New tools that are needed to weave together different teams and data streams on the campaign trail
- Replacing manual processes with automated approaches to manage data, including donor info, social media, email contacts, voter lists, event attendees, and volunteers
- The trend for newer campaign tools to open up their APIs to improve interoperability
- Solving the problem of "Where is my sticker?" Need for political campaigns to meet voters' expectations as consumers have come to expect a quick and accurate response from vendors.
- Why it is essential for a campaign to run on top of strong technology with secure and automated processes
@bluelinkorg @HigherGroundLab #politicalcampaigns
Bluelink.org
Philip Armstrong is COO and Brandon Harris CEO and both are Co-Founders of Votus, part of the Higher Ground Labs cohort of 2021. Votus is a communications platform that helps campaigns and elected officials establish meaningful 1:1 relationships with voters and constituents.
We talk about:
- The value of social listening and analytic reporting to identify influencers, hot topics, and location of those interested in a campaign or issue
- The untapped power of Nano-Influencers of all ages
- Opening up the dialogue to a diverse coalition to encourage more civic engagement
- Finding persuadable voters who align with the campaign's overall message and building a community around their interest in specific issues
- Value of 1:1 conversations for campaigns to directly target messages using the preferred channel for each voter
- Establishing an opportunity for ongoing communication includes the ability to respond rapidly to counteract fake news
#Votus @HigherGroundLab #SocialListening #SocialAnalytics #CivicEngagement #VoterPersuasion #VoterEngagement
Votus.com
Thomas Kramer is Co-Founder of Measure Studio, part of the Higher Ground Labs 2021 Cohort. Measure Studio is bringing this Software as a Service to political clients to provide a way for them to organize and make sense of social media data.
With deep experience in the entertainment world, Thomas understands what content works well and why. He talks about:
- What is required to have social media content go viral
- How quickly it can be determined whether content is resonating with the desired audience
- What about the content makes it engaging
- Value of consistent messaging and risks campaigns take by just looking to provoke
- The need to use real-time social media data to come up with a strong content strategy.
@MeasureStudio @HigherGroundLab #SaaS #SocialMediaAnalytics
Measure.Studio
David Nussbaum is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PORTL, a hologram technology company that lets people beam high resolutions of themselves to multiple locations to interact with other people. Called telepresence or holoporation, this company is inventing the future of political campaigning, fundraising, and voter engagement.
Talking with guest host Cyrus Krohn, David describes the history of using holograms in politics and professional speaking since the 1860s. No longer just a magic trick, beaming political candidates is becoming an efficient way to get attention, safely be in more than one place at a time, and give access to those restricted in their time and ability to physically move around.
Known for looking over the horizon in political campaigns, Cyrus asks, what will it take to make this mainstream in politics? Will concerns about wear and tear on candidates, security threats, and COVID-19 drive the accelerated use of this technology?
David says that scanning and saving the living is the future of politics and holograms. Not just for the famous, he also says the next step is using our phone to send miniature versions of ourselves -- where holograms meet Zoom.
@PORTLHologram @cyrusk #Holograms #Voters #VoterEngagement #PoliticalCampaigns #COVID19 #BeamMeUpScotty
PORTLHologram.com
Loren Merchan is Partner and President at Authentic, a digital consulting and fundraising company working with Democratic and Progressive campaigns. Loren emphasizes the need for buy-in from campaigns and committees that digital is an important persuasion investment and not just an extension of traditional media. We talk about:
- Why digital experts need to run the digital persuasion program rather than leaving it to traditional consultants who are buying television
- Who might be most persuadable using digital tools
- Recognition of new media habits and reaching chord cutters
- Unique things digital can do to engage and persuade voters rather than just talking at them
- Value of contrast messaging
- Reaching voters with accurate information through ads
- Running smart GOTV programs
@Authentic_HQ #VoterPersuasion #Fundraising #Voters
Authentic.org
Sean Duggan is VP of Advertising SXM Media with a focus on government, political, and advocacy clients. We talk about
- Surprises and trends from the 2021 primary race for Governor of Virginia and the California Governor Recall effort
- How campaigns are increasingly using audio ads, pivoting now to early persuasion, and planning for the final GOTV
- Efforts underway to re-educate about the latest wave of the pandemic and mobilizing people to get a vaccination
- Increasing interest in reaching multi-cultural voters with a deeper understanding of specific blocks of voters
- Overcoming challenges to finding voters in an ad-free streaming world
- Early indicators of activities underway for 2022 Senate and House races
@SXMMediaGroup #politicalads #audioads #Voters #GOTV #COVID
SXMMedia.com/ad-solutions.com
Matthew Dybwad is the Senior Account Executive focused on political clients at Xandr, AT&T's data-enabled technology platform at the intersection of digital and TV. Their mission is to overcome fragmentation within the advertising landscape for sellers and buyers by creating an exchange that gets them in front of targeted viewers.
We talk about:
- Common misperceptions about the media habits of voters including assuming that voters are like the people who are buying the media. Political marketers need to think more like direct-to-consumer advertisers using all available screens and audio devices to reach voters.
- Questioning the true value of voter files and growing the universe of potential voters by looking beyond the base to the expanding middle group of voters that are persuadable as well as recruiting new voters.
- The need to surround voters with persuasive information using a more holistic, integrated media approach and being smart about measuring investment by tracking real-world objectives like list building and fundraising.
- Preview of activity in the upcoming elections in 2021 and 2022 as well as international elections.
- How we got to a Digital First approach for political media consultants where CTV/OTT can reach more people than linear tv.
@Xandr #Voters #PoliticalAdvertising #OTT #CTV #DigitalAds #AudioAds
Xandr.com
David Braunstein is President of Together for Safer Roads, a global NGO actively raising awareness and pursuing solutions to increase road safety and eliminate traffic injuries, fatalities, and near-misses.
To promote public-private partnerships and social responsibility, TSR is working with corporations, government agencies, and other interested parties to improve the health of all drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians. They are also executing evidence-based fleet safety solutions.
David makes the point that a good percentage of accidents happen in a small number of locations. The key is using data and private sector technology to build smarter infrastructure to reduce the likelihood of traffic-related accidents and deaths and build safer cities.
@TSRCoalition #TogetherForSaferRoads #RoadSafety #VisionZero
TogetherForSaferRoads.org
Rachel Korberg is the Executive Director at the Families and Workers Fund, and Naomi Walker is the Director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) at the Economic Policy Institute. They join me on this podcast to discuss the economic recovery from the pandemic and the need for dramatic unemployment insurance reform.
We focus on the previously overlooked value of unemployment insurance with a mission to bring it into the 21st Century.
- Making Build Back Better a reality will help us recover from the impact of COVID-19 as well as historic inequities in pay, job opportunities, and access to social services.
- This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a public investment in new jobs and strengthen the unemployment insurance systems in all states.
- Innovative and updated unemployment insurance policies tested during COVID-19 for previously non-covered workers need to be continued and expanded.
- Essential investments in updated technology should allow for a worker-friendly interface.
#FamiliesandWorkersFund @EconomicPolicy #BuildBackBetter #UnemploymentInsurance #UI
Families and Workers Fund
Economic Policy Institute EPI.org
Mike Nellis is the CEO and Founder of Authentic, a digital consulting and fundraising company working with top-level Democratic and Progressive campaigns. Mike is deeply concerned about the fundraising malpractices and scams used by Republican and Democratic campaigns to confuse seniors, low-information low-tech voters, and those eager to join a community of supporters of a campaign or cause.
Mike points out that many digital strategists and consultants take advantage of deceptive wording, misrepresentation, and even fraud to draw in donors. He is emphatic about not thinking of voters as an ATM machine.
Mike also shines a light on campaigns that have treated voters with respect, and he emphasizes that candidates need to take proactive steps to run ethical fundraising campaigns.
@authentic_HQ #fundraising #politicalfundraising #fundraisingscams
Authentic.org
Tara McGowan is the Founder and CEO of Courier Newsroom and shares lessons learned as CEO of ACRONYM and PACRONYM during the 2020 election cycle about low information and elusive swing voters.
We talk about:
- need to give people more opportunities for a balanced information diet providing content where they are online
- need to understand the new media consumption habits of all voters
- changing rules and effectiveness of online political advertising
- when voters are most likely to be persuaded
- need to increase civic engagement and build a more informed, engaged, and representative America by providing factual news and information to passive consumers
Advice to campaigns: Never too early to tell your story proactively by reaching Americans with facts instead of allowing disinformation to define the narrative.
@taraemcg #CourierNewsroom #TaraMcGowan #swingvoters #lowinformationvoters #voterpersuasion
CourierNewsroom.com
Ben Katz is a political internet pioneer and Chief Architect ISPolitical and concerned about getting beyond the hyper-partisanship when dealing with questions about how to make sure elections are safe and secure.
We also talk about:
- Need to return to expertise in political campaigns. Ben says the traditional gatekeepers are gone replaced by eager amateurs and brute anger.
- The impact of nationalization of campaigns on partisanship and for raising money from voters and a national audience.
- The third wave of fundraising where the deluge of emails asking for money from candidates all around the country are being tuned out. Ben points out the trend to a return to individual asks with customized follow-up enhanced by technology.
#fundraising #VoterFraud #VoterSuppression #politicalcampaigns
ISPolitical.com
Joe Corbe is the Founder of 1631 Digital and the winner of 2 Reed Awards from Campaigns & Elections--one for Best Online Bootstrapped Campaign and the other for Best Online Bare-Knuckled Street Fight Victory for their work with the National Association of Broadcasters to defeat the Ad Tax.
As a result of COVID-19 we saw a tremendous increase in time spent on digital sources from desktop to mobile and OTT and Connected TV. Joe talks about the need to micro-target and geo-target decision makers as well as influencers using all digital media options to get the message out particularly when so many people are still working from home.
He also emphasizes the need to look at the data to fine tune a campaign and determine which issues are most compelling to the target audience and that will draw interest and contributions from grassroots supporters.
@1631_DigitalAdv #ReedAwards @C_and_E @nabtweets
1631Digital.com
Don Caldwell is Editor-in-Chief of Know Your Meme and an expert on the growth of memes, GIFs, viral videos, and other digital content that is widely shared and hits a responsive chord. Don talks about tracking Internet culture, the history of the word meme, the life cycle of memes, and how social media fuels the speed of how fast and far memes spread.
While predicting which memes will go viral is difficult, Don had a feeling that the image of Bernie Sanders wearing his mittens at the Biden Inauguration was going to be a winner. He points out that memes need to use strong symbolism in order to grab attention to elicit an emotional response and encourage sharing.
He also reminds us that memes have a life of their own and can not be tamed once unleashed on the internet. He emphasizes that candidates and advocates need to really understand internet culture in order to create a successful meme.
@KnowYourMeme @DonCald #memes #BerniesMittens
KnowYourMeme.com
Ken Fujimoto is the National Spokesperson for the Unity Against Hate Rally and Executive Director at APAPA a non-partisan non-profit grassroots organization focused on empowering Asian and Pacific Islanders in civic and public affairs. We talk about the goals for the rallies that were held around the country on May 15, the sponsors and participants, and the current anti-hate legislation.
While some Hispanic voters may be motivated by Spanish language political and advocacy ads, Ken emphasizes that the AAPI community generally sees English as the preferred language for calls to action or persuasion.
Ken also shares his own experience with anti-Asian hate as a third generation Japanese American and motivation for his efforts to raise awareness about anti-Asian hate crimes and drive change.
@APAPAHQ #UnityAgainstHate #AAPI #API #AsianAmericanPacificIslanders
CommunityAgainstHate.org
APAPA.org
Deepak Puri, Co-Founder and CEO, The Democracy Labs shares insights about the use of memes, GIFs and stickers in a time when people have increasingly short attention spans and are bombarded by messages. There is no magic formula for what will go viral but experimentation is key as are optimizing the images to appear on search engines and having memes ready to go when there is a planned activity.
Deepak also reminds us that there are many languages that voters are comfortable with. Translation technology makes it easy to create captions for videos and GIFs in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog and Portuguese as he demonstrated in his highlight reel of Liz Cheney's speech. Deepak also shares insights about the impact of voter suppression in places like the Navajo Nation and the impediment of the lack of internet access in getting voting information.
@TheDemLabs #COVID19 #LizCheney #votersuppression
TheDemLabs.org
Liz Cheney's speech on protecting democracy in five languages
Joe Sandler, Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock PC confirms that Federal and State laws regarding voting and voters are just the beginning of the story about how easy or difficult it is to vote. With no national standards for voting and for counting and auditing those votes, mechanisms vary from state to state with election laws often designed to benefit one group over another. Reflections on the current audit of the 2020 votes in Arizona, lessons learned about voter turnout in 2020, need to develop ways to make it easier to vote despite new requirements and restrictions, and how the flow of contributions to candidates and causes increasingly moving online is driving the nationalization of campaigns and diminishing effectiveness of PACs.
#COVID19 #2020Election #VoterSuppression #ElectionIntegrity
SandlerReiff.com
Bryan Miller, President, Neptune Ops is not very interested in polling but rather actual behavior that is being measured in real time by digital tools available for online ad campaigns which allow for refinements in the message, targeting, and creative. Geo-fencing and targeting at the household level is reducing wasted ad dollars and surgically delivering engaging content on the right screen and at the right time.
While some issues beg for personalized video, some complicated issues might be better explained using animation. Streaming devices, digital out-of-home, and programmatic audio ads are all offering new opportunities to target elected officials and key supporters and influencers.
#advocacy #geofencing #programmaticaudio #digitalads #DigitalOutOfHome
NeptuneOps.com
Sean Duggan VP Advertising, SiriusXM shines light on efforts by government agencies and other interested parties to educate and persuade people to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Audio ads are being deployed across the SiriusXM network to reach those who are qualified to get the shot with broader targeting now that more people are eligible. At the same time, starting to see a pivot to a local multi-language outreach tailored to under-served communities. There is also a growing interest in using influential podcasts to connect the right COVID-19 messages to the right audience. Growing interest in using targeted audio ads by 2021 political campaigns and Sean is expecting 2022 and 2024 campaigns will start this summer.
@pandoramusic @stduggan #COVID19 #COVIDVaccine
Katie Harbath, Founder, Anchor Change is looking to solve issues at the intersection of democracy and technology. Katie reflects on the role corporations play in driving change, the likely benefit of boycotts by consumers and voters, need for corporations to be authentic and transparent about political and cause related contributions, and how we think about protecting First Amendment rights.
After 10 years at Facebook, most recently as a Public Policy Director, Katie talks about lessons learned about civic engagement, the changing understanding of the value of social media by candidates, and how we mitigate harms coming from social media while focusing on the positive ways social media can be used.
@KatieHarbath #boycotts #civicengagement #Facebook
AnchorChange.com
Adam Probolsky, President, Probolsky Research conducted a poll of California voters on March 23, 2021 to get an early look at the interest voters have in recalling California Governor Gavin Newsom. Among likely voters, the support for No on the recall is strongest with women, while Latino voters seem the most receptive to the recall. The successful campaign to recall Governor Gray Davis in 2003 took place when there were more registered Republicans and the top Republican candidate was Arnold Schwarzenegger. With large strong Democratic majority counties and the uncertainty of COVID implications, recall backers are waiting for the signatures to be approved and the next steps to conducting the recall election announced.
Here is the link to the poll results
@ProbolskyRsrch
ProbolskyResearch.com
Rich Thau, Co-Founder and President, Engagious describes his ongoing Swing Voter Project which explores the motivation and behavior of those who voted for Obama then voted for Trump and those who voted for Trump and then voted for Biden. With adjustments for COVID-19 restrictions, Rich moved online to talk with voters around the country about their sources of information, interest in voting, and what issues mattered the most to them. Swing voters are not having a problem making up their minds because of too much information rather it is about tipping points to push them over to the other side.
#swingvoters #COVID19 #SwingVoterProject
Engagious.com
Poppy MacDonald is President, USAFacts a non-partisan civic engagement initiative with a mission to get accurate facts in the hands of more people. With experience working in Congress and most recently President and COO of Politico, Poppy joined with Steve Ballmer, founder of USAFacts to bring robust, accurate and understandable data from over 70 federal government sources to consumers, journalists, researchers, students, and anyone who is trying to make sense of key issues in our society.
USAFacts has recently published the State of the Union Report which zeroes in on such topics as the impact of COVID-19, the economy, education, crime and justice, and the environment to give people historical metrics and provide perspective and context in these times of a new administration and the pandemic.
@USAFacts #COVID19 #pandemic
USAFacts State of the Union Report
USAFacts.org
Darryl Lucien, Lucien Partners, a California based lobby firm, has insider experience as a legislative director and staffer which he brings to his clients as he advises them about how to pivot during these times of COVID-19 and changes in administrations. While weather and natural disasters will draw more attention to infrastructure issues, it all comes down to where the money comes from and priorities of elected and government officials., not necessarily ballot initiatives which will continue to be an expensive gamble for special interest groups. Lessons learned about use of social media, engaging volunteers and messaging during the pandemic with lack of personal contact and tactics that might continue to be used in future advocacy campaigns.
#COVID19 #CA #California #advocacy #CAlobbyist
LucienPartners.com
Betsy Hoover, Partner, Higher Ground Labs is enthusiastic about the progress in 2020 of their portfolio companies. While the impact of COVID-19 required some pivoting in strategy, product development and marketing, in 2020 these start-ups had the tested technology that campaigns needed and used up and down the ballot to reach, educate, and mobilize voters on the Progressive side. It is expected that the distributed digital model will be a permanent component of future campaigns and the challenge will be how to blend that with a strategy that again includes actual face to face conversations. As HGL recruits the next class of entrepreneurs into their incubator and accelerator, they are looking for those eager to drive innovation and address unmet needs in the political and advocacy space.
@HigherGroundLab #HGL #election2020 #progressivevoters #mobilizeAmerica @JoinOutvote #BallotReady
HigherGroundLabs.com
Martin Cooper is an engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, futurist and author of Cutting the Cord: The Cell Phone Has Transformed Humanity. He is known as the father of the cell phone as he led the creation of the world's first handheld mobile phone at Motorola based on his work on pagers, two-way radio dispatch systems, quartz crystal manufacture, competing with AT&T and educating the FEC. As a wireless visionary, Marty reflects on the limitations of monopolies, the need to create technology that solves real problems, the drive of humans to be mobile, and the value of mobile enabled collaboration.
If you recognize the DynaTAC on the cover of Marty's book, you will definitely enjoy reading this memoir/history/leadership book. Insights about early projections of demand for cell phones will amuse anyone who can't imagine a time before that super computer in their pocket.
#MartyCooper. #MartinCooper #mobilephones #wirelessengineering
Cutting the Cord: The Cell Phone Has Transformed Humanity by Martin Cooper
Eric Wilson, Director, Center for Campaign innovation reports on the just released 2020 Post-Election National Campaign Technology Survey which confirms that the digital transformation of politics is well underway. Key findings include insights about persuadable voters and where they are going for information about candidates, opportunities for engaging low-propensity voters, effectiveness of digital media versus traditional means of reaching voters, where donors are giving, and the untapped potential in digital campaigning.
@campaigninnov8r #election2020 #fundraising #voters
CampaignInnovation.org
Richard DeShay Elliott, Elections Analyst, PrimaryCast by Grassroots Analytics is bringing a refreshing view of what makes a successful campaign with a predictive model that is incorporating a wide range of characteristics and data points about specific candidates. With a strong record of accurate predictions about 2020 races, Richard talks about 2021 governor, lieutenant governor, and mayor races particularly the Democratic candidates running for Governor in Virginia and Mayor of NYC.
@primarycast #election2021
PrimaryCast.us
Deepak Puri, Co-founder and CEO, The Democracy Labs reflects on changes in activism and grassroots organizing due to restrictions from COVID-19 and the availability of free and low cost digital tools. Deepak talks about TextPerCent.org an app being deployed for voter engagement through peer-to-peer texting and BigStage.Online which sits on top of ZOOM to allow for donations during fundraising events. He also highlights solutions for allowing disabled, elderly and those in rural areas with no cellular or Internet connection to be informed with chatbots accessed through land lines and voice recognition. His goal is to make it easy for small grassroots organizations as well as candidates and progressive groups to apply technologies coming out of the business sector.
#COVID19 #fundraising #GOTV #ZOOM
TextPerCent.org
BigStage.online
TheDemLabs.org
Frank Girolami, Vice President of Political Data, Aristotle shares insights about fundraising strategies that proved successful in 2020 races and confirms that more campaigns took a path to nationalize their appeals for funds. He reminds us that mail-in voting has proven successful in Oregon and Washington state for many years and that political consultants need to realize there is no longer just Election Day but rather Election Month and that voters no longer fit into neat boxes like suburban women or neighborhoods.
@AristotleNews #COVID19 #2020Election #Fundraising
Aristotle.com
Cyrus Krohn, internet thought-leader, political activist and author of the recently published Bombarded: How to Fight Back Against the Online Assault on Democracy is not surprised that the bombardment has continued long past election day given the fuel from Trump to continue the fight and further divide the country. Recent Senate Judiciary hearing with CEOs of the tech companies revealed agreement about need for regulations of the Wild West of social media, particularly with the challenge of information and disinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines. Cyrus shines a light on the need for authentication of individual identities, information warfare and the threat from Tik Tok weaponizing data about US citizens, need for better civics education and talking with kids about trusted sources of information.
@CyrusK #COVID19 #TikTok #2020Election
BombardedBook.com
Sean Duggan, VP Advertising, Pandora is enthusiastic about the growing value of audio political ads particularly to reach multi-cultural audiences. With the growing choices for ad-free streaming content, the competition for attention is shifting to ad-based media that is accessible on a variety of devices. Digital audio ads provide a nimble platform for rapid response as demonstrated by the use of Pandora ads in a broad range of PAC and political campaigns in 2020 and those being deployed in the Georgia Senate runoff campaigns.
@pandoramusic @stduggan #2020Election #GeorgiaRunOffs
PandoraForBrands.com
Ben Katz, Chief Architect, ISPolitical likes recounts and the attention being paid to election fraud to insure that voter counts are accurate. While people can make small mistakes, machines can turn seemingly small problems into much larger issues. Working with over 800 campaigns in 2020 and with many years in the campaign compliance business, Ben reflects on changes due to COVID-19 on campaign activities and fundraising, and questions the value of all those political emails flooding voters' inboxes.
@ISPolitical #protect2020 #Election2020 #COVID19
ISPolitical.com
Larry Moore, Co-Chair, National Council for Independent Living is passionate about making voting more accessible for more people particularly those who are disabled, deployed military and civilians living abroad. With an eye to security and preventing fraud, Larry points to the speed and accuracy that a digital dimension can bring to the voting environment while not eliminating traditional methods for marking and counting ballots for those who prefer the paper.
National Council for Independent Living
Digital Voting: An Idea That's Time has Come
Glenn Kessler, President and Michelle Niedziela, PhD, VP Research and Innovation, HCD Research once again conducted a live focus group with a consortium of market research companies of the second debate between President Trump and Vice-President Biden to study reactions from Trump and Biden supporters as well as undecided voters. Unlike traditional focus groups or polls, this NeruoPolitical study used psychophysiological responses to measure intensity of response second by second to the entire debate. This debate was easier to follow given the lack of the noise from the candidates talking over each other and so the data even more clearly showed enthusiasm of Trump and Biden supporters and lack of interest of the undecided.
Here is the link to the archived analysis.
@HCDResearchInc #Debates2020 #2020Election
HCDI.net
Karen Chase Leighton, media specialist and former ABC News and Associated Press anchor and correspondent shares insights about covering the health of elected officials from her early days as a White House and Capitol Hill correspondent during the President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush years. Karen also reflects on the approach the Trump administration has taken on reporting the President's COVID-19 status, the impact of the pandemic on journalists covering the President and participating in the debates, and best ways to tell an authentic story.
#2020campaign #COVID19
Glenn Kessler, President and Michelle Niedziela, PhD, VP Research and Innovation, HCD Research conducted a live focus group with a consortium of market research companies of the recent debate between President Trump and Vice-President Biden to study reactions from Trump and Biden supporters as well as undecided voters. Unlike traditional focus groups or polls, this NeruoPolitical study used psychophysiological responses to measure intensity of response second by second to the entire debate. One of the key take-aways was that all voters were interested in healthcare related issues.
Here is the link to the archived analysis.
@HCDResearchInc #Debates2020 #2020Election
HCDI.net
Cyrus Krohn author of the new book Bombarded: How to Fight Back Against the Online Assault on Democracy shares his insights about how we have found ourselves in a world where privacy is disappearing and targeting of personalized messages on every smart device is becoming commonplace. Identifying the roots of the political chaos growing on social media, Cyrus looks ahead to what can to done to insure citizens have the accurate information they need to maintain a robust democracy.
@CyrusK @BombardedB #BombardedBook #fightback #TikTok #democracy
BombardedBook.com
Craig Leonard, CEO, Eyesover Technologies is gathering data from social posts and comment sections from media outlets to keep track of public opinion in real time. With a focus on political conversations and how voters are using social media to express concerns, Eyesover is replicating polling in real time to highlight issues for campaigns often ahead of traditional polling methods. Instead of asking set questions, this approach uses key words and machine learning to analyze and identify trends and unexpected concerns. An ability to track across time allows Eyesover to compare changes in sentiment of supporters as well as those not likely to vote for a candidate.
@eyesover_tech #2020election #polling
Eyesover.com
Michael Beach, CEO, Cross Screen Media brings deep understanding of the pain points for media buyers and sellers when trying to navigate the linear tv, digital, streaming, and addressable tv landscape. Michael brings us up to date on the enormous growth of political campaign budgets in 2020, explosive growth of political digital video ads, differences between traditional tv ads and those that are served up on CTV/OTT and video-on-demand sites, and the impact of COVID-19 on viewing behavior and media consumption.
@XScreenMedia @michaelbeach #VOD #CTV #OTT #convergentTV
CrossScreen.Media
Reed Galen, co-founder, The Lincoln Project comes back on the show with an update about the effectiveness of their ads to defeat President Trump and how this group of Republicans have created a pirate ship to develop this grassroots effort giving soft Republicans and swing voters permission to vote for Joe Biden for President or at least diminish their support for Trump and those Senators who support him. Using a scalpel instead of a meat ax, The Lincoln Project is creating relatively inexpensive ads relying on found footage and basic editing techniques, focusing on the concept and content not fancy special effects in farm fields. While earned and paid media as well as online and social media campaigns are driving interest, television ads are also being bought in Washington, DC on the morning Fox news shows for an audience of one.
@reedgalen @ProjectLincoln #AmericaOrTrump #LincolnProject @JoeBiden @realDonaldTrump #2020Election
LincolnProject.us
Dan Gerstein, CEO, Gotham Ghostwriters shares insights about the challenges of writing speeches which will be given in an empty room, advantages to the intimacy of talking directly to those tuning in online or on television, the relevance of background and positioning of the speaker, and intermixing of live and recorded content in the national conventions. We also talk about the impact when the speaker is yelling (or is it showing passion?), the ways in which men and women politicians are perceived when they are expressing anger or strong opinions, and the changing standards for men to show more emotion.
@gothamghosts #2020Election #RNC2020 #DNC2020
GothamGhostWriters.com
Ron Kagan Founder Mailin2020.org a non-profit organization has launched a comprehensive site that provides state by state mail-in ballot directions to educate voters about the ways to receive and return their ballots. With an entrepreneurial background and experience as a software developer for large financial institutions, Ron has designed an easy to use site that provides detailed steps, collects no information and includes official links to provide more information for voters. He is also making this site available to other non-profits conducting voter registration and get out the vote efforts.
#GOTV #2020election #votebymail
Mailin2020.org
Sean Duggan, VP Advertising, Pandora shines light on the changes in the listening habits of their audience since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. While there has been a significant rise in the use of connected devices in homes, the listening audience in cars also continues to grow with a renewed interest in owning cars. Which changes in work habits are temporary and which will be permanent? With the growth of cord-cutter and cord-never voters and the many on-demand non-ad supported streaming platforms, Pandora provides a unique environment where relevant political ads can be precisely targeted to voters including harder to reach multi-cultural audiences.
@pandoramusic #2020Election
PandoraForBrands.com
Steve Kramer, President, Get Out the Vote reflects on the changes to the world of live call centers, door-to-door field activities, texting campaigns, and phone surveys in the age of COVID-19. The rate of engagement with live callers on both mobile devices and landlines is increasing, people are showing more patience for answering phone surveys, and door-to-door is still the most persuasive way to reach voters although from a safe distance. With possible delays in delivery of direct mail, phone will be even more important in the election of 2020.
#2020Election #GOTV #COVID19
Deepak Puri, Co-Founder and CEO, DemLabs talks about the value of GIS data for planning, identifying trouble spots and empowering voters, innovations in organizing apps, lessons fundraisers can learn from infomercials, and informing people about how they can become poll workers.
#DemLabs #Fundraising #2020Election
TheDemLabs.org
Chris Thomas, Director Government Marketing, Esri describes the GIS tools election officials are using to map appropriate polling places for the November 2020 election, the value of historic and real time geographic information to improve voting waiting time, and the transparency that maps provide when attempts are made to repress the vote by making it more difficult or dangerous to vote in person. With inside mapping capabilities, the Esri apps are being applied to figuring out locations where social distancing can be achieved for voting centers, as well as for reopening schools and offices.
@Esri #esri #GIS #ArcGIS #2020Election
Esri.com
Dan Gerstein, CEO, Gotham Ghostwriters reflects on the challenges and rewards of working with elected officials as a speechwriter and ghostwriter. He points out how those clients who are themselves good writers are perhaps the most appreciative of the work of a ghostwriter. Dan explains the different roles a ghostwriter might play, why politicians need help writing persuasive speeches in this age of social media, mobile technology, and hyper-partisanship and the potential of humor in telling a story to engage voters and build coalitions.
@GothamGhosts #2020Election
GothamGhostwriters.com
Chris Thomas, Director Government Marketing, Esri sheds light on the role maps and geospatial visualization are playing in the efforts by government officials to fight COVID-19. We talk about examples of Esri ArcGIS innovations such as the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard which has been used to generate over a trillion maps, indoor GIS tools that can be used to solve the puzzle of social distancing, the Community Contact Tracing app that maps person-to-person-to-places relationships to quickly identify hot-spots and super-spreaders, and the role artificial intelligence and machine learning is playing in the analysis of historic, real-time and unstructured data.
@EsriUC #EsriUC #GIS #COVID19
Esri.com
Mike Long, speechwriter, speaker, playwright, scientist, educator and co-author of The Molecule of More, talks about the differences between working with politicians and actors, the myth of the "voice" of a candidate, what a ghostwriter really does, and the value a speechwriter can bring to a campaign to make presentations more compelling. He also reflects on using humor when addressing any audience and provides advice for candidates preparing for upcoming debates, emphasizing the need to sound organized and confident while avoiding a stream of consciousness style.
#2020Election
MikeLongOnline.com
ProMagicShow.com
Jonathan Rick, The Jonathan Rick Group, is a public relations guru who has given a great deal of thought to the changes COVID-19 and the protests in the streets have brought to the political media landscape. He emphasizes that candidates and politicians need to be hyper-vigilant in their choice of written and spoken words while listening to a range of voices. He recommends that politicians memorize lists of actions taken and avoid promising to study a problem. This is not a time for innocent jokes and it's not a good idea for candidates to test one-liners. Jonathan also gives some advice about writing and placing Op-eds-- a great way to demonstrate leadership particularly when enhanced by outside specialists to help fine-tune the message.
@JonathanRickGRP #2020election #COVID19
JonathanRick.com
Deepak Puri, Co-Founder and CEO, DemLabs strongly believes that outrage is a terrible thing to waste. Online petitions initiated by individuals and organizations can be used to turn anger in the streets into action at the local, state and national levels. Deepak talks about how their grassroots rapid response approach to raising awareness and influencing elected officials and corporations is showing immediate success in these times of COVID-19 and social unrest.
@TheDemLabs #COVID19 #grassroots #organizing
TheDemLabs.org
Scott Goodstein, CEO, Catalyst Campaigns has seen the use of social media in political campaigns change from being a positive one-to-one engagement tool to becoming a tool to suppress voting and spread false information. Scott shines a light on the current challenges to Section 230 of Communications Decency Act of 1996 and the state of the social media landscape targeted by bullies and bots where elected officials tweet out hate speech and mis-information. He also shares campaign strategies for handling false rumors.
@goodstein
#2020Election
CatalystCampaigns.com
Cyrus Krohn, is an internet pioneer, political activist and author who is now drawing on his insider view of the political process to run for the state legislature in Washington. With a deep understanding of the value of digital tools in political and advocacy campaigns, Cyrus talks about what is driving him to run as a Unity and Restoration Party candidate, the newest challenges for all campaigns from COVID-19 restrictions, Twitter and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and his upcoming book Bombarded: How to Fight Back Against the Online Assault on Democracy.
@CyrusK
VoteCyrus.com
BombardedBook.com
Barry Jagoda, journalist, assistant to Jimmy Carter, and Emmy-winning producer for CBS coverage of Watergate shares reasons for writing his memoir. The book includes his coming of age in the 50's and early 60's in Texas, the New York years attending the Columbia School of Journalism and with CBS flying around the world covering the moon landing, politicians, campaigns, and dignitaries. Barry takes the reader behind the scenes working on the Jimmy Carter for President Campaign of 1976 and in the Carter White House. Barry emphasizes the need for journalists as well as citizens to shine the light of truth on politicians and to remember all presidential races are always close.
BarryJagoda.com
Journeys with Jimmy Carter and Other Adventures in Media by Barry Jagoda
Sangeeth Peruri, Founder and CEO OutreachCircle has learned a a great deal about human nature, political organizing, the power of grassroots supporters, and changes in the field organizing landscape. He talks about the impact of COVID-19 on the ability of candidates to develop long term engagements with voters, most popular online activities for campaigns that build relationships and drive traditional and digital actions, and keys to building strong long term advocacy campaigns as well as campaigns with a short horizon.
@outreachcircle #2020election
Client.outreachcircle.com
Outreachcircle.com/socialdistancing
Mark Walsh is a venture capitalist, entrepreneur, political activist and digital trailblazer. He reflects on the changes coming to political campaigning, what the impact of COVID-19 will be on who runs for public office, and readjustments ahead as a result of what voters will expect from candidates. Mark shares historical lessons about how digital technology has changed our relationships with banks, travel agents and candidates, and emphasizes the need for transparency about candidate fundraising and activities especially with the rise of deep fakes.
#2020election #covid19
@walsh
Naseem Makiya, CEO, OutVote shares lessons learned working with Democratic presidential primary contenders and reflects on the changes to volunteer engagement since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Naseem talks about value of using an integrated relational organizing tool to drive voter registration and turnout and to expand the reach of campaigns by encouraging volunteers to share updates with personal networks in a time when people have an increased need for trusted sources of relevant information about candidates and causes. OutVote is one of the Higher Ground Labs portfolio companies.
@joinoutvote #2020election #GOTV #OutVote
OutVote.io
Jesse Barba, Senior Director of External Affairs, Young Invincibles is focused on what those 18-34 years old are talking about and what will drive them to support candidates and causes in 2020. This cohort includes those voting for the first time as well as those who have lived through 9/11 and the crash of 2008. We talk about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their thinking about healthcare and qualities of a good leader, and the challenges faced by campaigns to find the voters and get out the vote in a time of dislocation and social distancing.
@younginvincible #COVID-19 #2020Election
YoungInvincibles.org
Alex Niemczewski, CEO, BallotReady is an entrepreneur and activist who is interested in raising awareness about all candidates and ballot initiatives on each local ballot so that voters can make informed decisions on election day. Building an impressive database of everyone running for public office as well as issues to be decided, this non-partisan tool also allows people to share their suggestions with friends and family, and find out where to vote and how to vote by mail . BallotReady is one of the Higher Ground Labs portfolio companies and primed to be a valuable resource to voters and advocates in this season of uncertainty.
@BallotReady #2020Election
BallotReady.org
Betsy Hoover, Partner, Higher Ground Labs brings the perspective of an investor and active participant in the development of digital solutions for political and advocacy campaigns. With a diverse portfolio of companies, Betsy is seeing an increase in interest in going online for organizing, mobilizing and fundraising and we both agree it is significant that so much work has already been done in the political digital space. With lessons learned in 2018 and 2019 campaigns, there is ample evidence that those companies offering strong digital solutions will help transform the political process moving forward as everyone struggles to understand the impact of the coronavirus.
HigherGroundLabs.com
Sean Duggan, VP Advertising, Pandora has seen a dramatic shift in the demand for political and advocacy audio ad campaigns on Pandora since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. With a diverse listening audience, geographically representative of the voting population, Pandora is serving up audio ads on a range of devices to drive persuasion and calls to action including responding to the Census.
@pandoramusic
@stduggan
PandoraForBrands.com
Thomas Peters, Founder and CEO, rumbleup and uCampaign reports on the use of peer-to-peer texting in 2020 campaigns and the additional value of humans texting out relevant information and engaging in 2 way conversations with constituents in the age of the coronavirus pandemic. With new limitations on the ability of volunteers to walk the neighborhood and conduct phone bank sessions, texting to mobile devices is the new handshake and an effective way to alert people about live events and opportunities to learn more about candidates and causes.
@rumble_up
rumbleup.com
Rob Griffin, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Tovo Labs reflects on how political campaigns are changing in light of social media, the coronavirus, and expectations of voters. We talk about the value of email lists from candidates that have dropped out of the race, new opportunities to geo-target ads now that more people are working from home, and Mike Bloomberg's Hawkfish agency which is working in down ballot races as well as with presidential candidates.
TovoLabs.com
Maria Picone founder TREND.Community and Shelley Bowen, founder Barth Syndrome Foundation were in Washington, DC recently for Rare Disease Week to advocate for more research and awareness about a difficult subject. Maria and Shelley emphasize the need for members of Congress to join the Rare Disease Caucus and for healthcare activists to show up to have their voices heard about the need for more funding and patient involvement in finding cures for rare and orphan diseases.
@TRENDCommunity @BarthSyndrome
#rarediseases #RDW #RareDiseaseDay #patientfocused #GeneticDisease
TREND.Community
Barth Syndrome Foundation
Kyle Shannon, Founder and CEO, Storyvine is an expert on telling compelling stories about candidates, advocates and brands and shares his insights about the elements of a well told narrative. Kyle talks about the reasons to capture authentic video to show support for a campaign, the benefits of using a smart system to guide the process of creating user-generated video content, and innovative ways in which candidates and advocacy groups have used Storyvine to engage and persuade constituents.
@storyvineinc
#2020election
Storyvine.com
Mike Gaby, Account Executive, Kessler Creative talks about the opportunities and obstacles to using yard signs and direct mail to drive voter interest. Despite signage restrictions in some communities and the constant need to replace stolen or removed signs, the political yard sign business is booming. Though political campaigns are sticking to traditional colors in yard signs, they are experimenting with larger format direct mail to stand out from the clutter in the mail box and to drive voters online.
@kesslercreative
Kessler Creative
Ben Katz Chief Architect ISPolitical is empathetic to those who contributed to and were affected by the failure to count the votes in the Iowa caucus and he points out the different kinds of failures that drove the melt-down. Ben talks about other ways to bring technology to counting votes, the need to focus on the real requirements of field and election officials, and importance of improving user interfaces in situations where there is a wide range of phones, ages of volunteers and those with mobile app experience. Election and campaign technology needs to be better than the old way of doing things in order for people to embrace it and use it successfully.
#2020election
ISPolitical.com
Craig Stadler, Partnership Manager, Petey Vid is an entrepreneur who has been specializing in search architecture and streaming video for many years. He is currently developing a robust video search engine that encompasses videos from 50+ diverse sources with an aim to provide a wider range of views to address the current biases that influence YouTube selections.
@PeteyVid
ThePeteyVid.com
Meredith Mattlin is running for Congress in the 5th District in Tennessee which includes Nashville and surrounding areas. The seat is held by an incumbent who was a young upstart from a political family back in the 80's when he was first elected to Congress. Meredith is a life-long activist, a Millennial, inspired by AOC, and ready to tap into under-served communities to shake things up in this diverse district.
@meredith_2020
#2020Election
MeredithforCongress.com
Kip Cassino, just retired Executive Vice President, Borrell Associates has been researching ad spending in the political space for many cycles. He shares his insights about 2020 ad budgets predicting that digital media spending will just about equal television ad budgets this year with each taking about one-third of the estimated $20 billion to be spent on all races. Kip also cautions about the impact of the rising cost of running campaigns in state and local races and the trend towards starting political campaigns earlier and earlier.
#2020Election
Luis Herrero Acevedo founding partner, 303.Digital on characteristics of successful viral campaigns, best ways to mine for authentic endorsements, driving donations from hard core fans, value of micro-targeting to deliver the right message to the right segment of constituents, and insights about reaching Latino voters. Luis also shares his memories, growing up in Puerto Rico, of why he got so excited using the Internet in political campaigns.
303.Digital
Michael Allman, Founder and CEO, Voterfied is developing an innovative solution for office holders, candidates and advocates to get immediate feedback from voters and constituents by employing blockchain and a creative platform get input about issues. Allowing for confirmation of identify and integration into other data bases, this direct voter engagement tool shows great promise to provide a competitive advantage.
Voterfied is in the first cohort in the StartupCaucus, a start-up accelerator growing companies that help Republicans win.
@voterfied
Voterfied
StartupCaucus
Shane Greer, co-owner, Campaigns and Elections talks about their upcoming Reed Awards and the new categories of competition particularly in the digital space. We also talk about raising awareness within the community of the possibility of cyber-attacks on campaigns and what can be done to minimize damage, and new approaches that are being taken to identify fake video and spam. The Reed Awards and Conference will be held in Atlanta February 19-20, 2020.
@C_and_E
Campaigns & Elections
Rena Shapiro, Director Politics and Public Affairs, a4 Media talks about how media buyers are shifting from cable to the OTT space to be able to find hard to reach audiences like cord cutters and those who use ad blockers, who is time shifting, the appeal to voters of using Internet enabled screens to pursue content they are interested in, role of mobile devices as well as big screen televisions, finding audiences beyond Google, Facebook and Twitter, and necessity of working with the right partner to target voters with a persuadable message.
@a4ise
a4Media.com/political-advertising
Sean Duggan, VP Advertising, Pandora talks about their recent State of the Sonic Union event where experts talked about how the brain processes audio and visual information. Sean explains the technique of creating a theatre of the mind to draw in consumers and voters, the need to use a variety of diverse voices in political and advocacy audio ads, and the differences between a local radio buy and using digital audio ads to target specific voters.
@pandoramusic
PandoraForBrands.com
Betsy Hoover is a Partner at Higher Ground Labs, an incubator, accelerator, and lead investor in political technology. Betsy is in search of entrepreneurs with insights about building companies that address the needs of Progressive political and advocacy campaigns. We talk about trends in the market, HGL criteria for selecting companies to invest in, and most significant obstacles to growth for their portfolio companies.
@BetsyHoover
Higher Ground Labs
Scott Goodstein CEO Catalyst Campaigns reflects on the need for more proactive action by Twitter and other social media sites to clean up the environment that has developed with fake news, bots, and spam and what campaigns can do about abuses on social media. Scott also raises questions about data harvesting, how social media should fight bullying by bots, and warns about the ease of inserting a spam bot into a social media dialogue. He highlights the trend to watch in 2020 campaigns is short videos and getting back to emotional based content to persuade voters.
@goodstein
#election2020
Catalyst Campaigns
David Goldstein, Co-Founder and CEO, Tovo Labs focuses on Twitter in light of their announcement that they will no longer accept political and advocacy ads, the real issues created by the use of social media by the dark side with bots and fake news, Facebook announcement about their policy to not verify validity of political ad content and how even fringe groups are building communities online and in the real world where people feel they belong.
@tovolabs
TovoLabs.com
Jonathan Moakes, Vice President, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research works with international opposition parties to help candidates raise money, organize and motivate voters new to democracy. He talks about the cultural differences between the US and other countries in fundraising to run political campaigns, connection between being a donor and voting, power of private funding and lower value donors to bring change in developing and emerging democracies, tapping into financial support for candidates from the diaspora of citizens living abroad, and translating digital techniques developed in the US to aid evolution of campaigning worldwide.
@Jonathan_Moakes
@GQRResearch
GQRR.com
Deepak Puri, co-founder and CEO of San Francisco based DemLabs is on a mission to identify strong open source and free or low cost software that candidates and campaigns can use to message and mobilize their constituents while maintaining a secure environment for online data. Deepak reflects on some of the lessons he learned in the software development business and drives home the need for political campaigns to carefully spend their limited resources on the right online tools.
TheDemLabs.org
Myles Bugbee is a political strategist with a keen eye for the power of online political ads to persuade and mobilize voters and using social media as a branding tool as he did for Senator Jon Tester's campaign. Myles talks about how the Trump campaign is currently using online ads to target new segments of voters with a landing page that does not match the information in the ad to create custom audiences to re-target later. We also talk about the impact of incendiary as well as humorous ads to persuade, drive action and increase viral engagement, what opponents can do to push back against false claims, and best practices for political online ad campaigns.
@mylesbugbee
MylesBugbee.com
Sangeeth Peruri, Founder and CEO, Outreach Circle on ways campaigns and organizations can build relationships with supporters, volunteers, activists, and donors and integrate third party tools to allow for easy sharing on social media. Outreach Circle is developing this intelligent, robust platform for micro-actions, virtual participation, and making it easy for people to raise their hand in the progressive ecosystem. This messaging and engagement platform allows for calls to action using a web browser without requiring users to download an app and complements traditional off-line actions as well as online.
Outreach Circle
Client/Outreachcircle.com
Xiaoli Jin, app developer and student in the Harvard Law School class of 2024 talks about what has driven her to undertake this project to bring news about candidates from a range of sources to voters who are looking for more information about down ballot races. Xiaoli wants to use this app as a way to help voters see beyond media bias and fake news so that they have more informed views.
Find NewsElect at the Apple Store.
Brendan Tobin, Head of Growth, Ecanvasser, headquartered in Cork, Ireland, has seen the development of new ways for field staff and volunteers to canvass potential voters, as more people are hesitant to answer a knock on their door. With an emphasis on the possibilities for the 2020 campaign, Brendon reminds us that canvassing is a great way to build relationships with voters, gather and quickly analyze critical data about what constituents are thinking, and determine commitment of the base and how likely they are to be persuaded. He also describes how candidates around the globe are using canvassing apps to reach out to facilitate human interaction wherever people gather or in high foot traffic areas where people on the street can be queried about campaign issues as well as neighborhood concerns.
ecanvasser.com
Eric Wilson, Managing Partner, Startup Caucus is excited about this new startup accelerator designed to invest in companies that can help Republicans win elections. With an appreciation for the historic resistance in the culture on the Right to invest in political and advocacy related technology, Eric is determined to find the right entrepreneurs and investors to bring best in class technology to center-right candidates and catch up with the Democrats in their use of digital tools to target and persuade voters.
@StartupCaucus
Startup Caucus
Colin Delany author and founder, ePolitics has been working with campaigns and non-profit organizations for over 15 years to best figure out how digital tools can help to build email lists, raise money, persuade constituents, and turnout the vote. We talk about the unexpected and predictable challenges the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are facing in this election cycle to appeal to contributors and persuade the undecided, and what lessons are most appropriate to draw from previous campaigns.
ePolitics.com
How to Use the Internet to Change the World--and Win Elections: The Definitive Guide to Digital Politics, 2019 Edition
Patrick Ruffini, partner and co-founder, Echelon Insights on the reasons to test political and advocacy messages in surveys, telephone polls, focus groups and newer ways to figure out who might be convinced by an ad message and not just which segments of voters to target. Patrick talks about their new directional tool Creative Optimizer which addresses the need to find good data on how much an ad persuades a voter, testing how voters respond to negative/contrast and humorous ads, and discovering new segments of supporters and what messages might resonate with them.
@echeloninsights
Echelon Insights
Matt McMillan, CEO and Founder, Buzzmaker discusses how digital tools are giving candidates and advocacy groups the opportunity to reach specific voters to put pressure on state legislators and city halls. Citizen empowered change is coming from local activism where ballot initiatives are attracting more diverse voters across the political spectrum. Matt reminds us that humor is hard to do and should be tested for levels of engagement with the target audience and developed with local creative talent to make sure it works. Looking ahead, Matt wonders if and when AI will replace humans in the creation of text messages and scripts for political and advocacy ads.
@wearebuzzmaker
Buzzmaker.net
Sean Duggan, VP Advertising, Pandora has just completed a Political Soundboard survey of over 2200 voting age listeners and he shares findings about the composition of their audience, popularity of the Democratic candidates running for president, issues of concern for Democrats and Republicans, and reaching the growing number of chord-cutters and chord nevers in the search for base and persuadable voters who are not watching traditional media.
@pandoramusic
PandoraForBrands.com