We are a coalition of technologists and Democratic campaigners united in a shared belief that a healthy and leaderful Democratic Party is critical to a healthy democracy—and that embracing an open, innovative, and competitive technology ecosystem is critical to a healthy Democratic Party.
We seek this infrastructure change because we believe it will help enable and empower the groundswell of Democratic candidates running for office nationwide.
What we want
We’re petitioning the Democratic National Committee to grant its candidates and committees equal access to the party’s shared wealth of voter data, regardless of the tools and technologies they choose to use. In short, we’re calling for the DNC to abandon its outdated exclusive relationship to campaign technology in favor of an open app marketplace for Democratic candidates.
Why this matters
The DNC’s outdated policy that requires voter data be housed in the database of one company puts Democrats at a competitive disadvantage. The civic and campaign tech marketplace is thriving, and Democrats should be able to take advantage of it without sacrificing their access to the key resource every campaign needs and only the DNC can provide — a rich voter database built by Democratic campaigns and State Parties over the past decade.
By requiring that the Democratic Party’s voter data be housed in the database of one company, NGP VAN, the DNC has helped create a monopoly in the campaign technology space. This company has used its monopoly to prevent Democrats who’d otherwise have access to their party’s data from using “competing” apps, lest they lose their access to this valuable data. And that means asking candidates to pick between the tech they believe will help them win and the data they need to do so.
As the DNC reflects on its past and begins building for future success, it has an opportunity to change course and embrace an open, competitive, and innovative campaign tech ecosystem.