Jon Seaton, founding Partner at Echo Canyon Consulting, has developed a platform to reshape how data and AI can improve the ground game of field canvassing. Field data, often manually audited and slowly made available, is a key source of information for campaigns, and intentional inaccuracies or accidental errors can quickly contaminate datasets downstream. While many AI solutions focus on generating content, this solution focuses on verifying that a human has actually conducted the work.

We talk about:

• Previous struggles with data reliability from field canvassers leading to poor strategic campaign decisions
• Fraud detection and what canvassers think they can get away with
• How near real-time reporting allows for corrective actions and feedback to canvassers
• Why door-to-door canvassing remains the most effective campaign tool

#EchoCanyonConsulting #Astralis #PoliticalCampaigns #FieldOperations #CampaignTech #GroundGame #AIinPolitics #DataIntegrity #GetOutTheVote #CampaignStrategy

EchoCanyonConsulting.com

Susan Greenhalgh, Senior Advisor on Election Security for Free Speech for People, joins Deepak Puri, Founder of The Democracy Labs, to pull back the curtain on the security of voting machines and how election results can be manipulated. Having paper ballots provides physical verification of votes and enables post-election audits and recounts when necessary. Still, a broader focus is needed to ensure all votes are counted and reported accurately, with proper protective measures in place.

Deepak and Susan talk about

• Critical vulnerabilities in the US voting system
• Post-election audits and validation of election results
• Federal interference threats to mail-in voting and voter eligibility
• Maintaining confidence in the election system

#TheDemLabs #FreeSpeechforPeople #ElectionSecurity #CampaignStrategy #PaperBallots #ElectionProtection #VoterIntimidation #PoliticalCampaigns #PostElectionAudits #GOTV

FreeSpeechforPeople.org

TheDemocracyLabs.org

Gary Lucks is an environmental attorney, activist, and author of We Are the Power: To Win the Future, a book designed to mobilize citizens across all districts for the 2026 midterm election. Drawing on extensive campaign experience, Gary presents practical strategies, tools, and tactics for grassroots activism, including community outreach at farmers' markets and transit stops, as well as virtual fundraising events. Emphasizing that everyday people possess untapped potential to defend democracy, the book encourages readers to get involved and includes a list of activist organizations and groups that support local activism.

We talk about:

• Viewing civic participation as a fundamental duty
• Providing a toolkit for individual activists
• Pacing activism efforts across two-year election cycles
• How campaigns can step up their volunteer recruitment and mobilization

#GaryLucks #GrassrootsPower #2026Elections #VolunteerMobilization #DigitalPolitics #CampaignStrategy #ProDemocracy #Indivisible #PartiesForDemocracy

We Are The Power

GaryLucks.com

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