How It Works 

Members sign up to be part of the alliance.  They sign our pro-democracy pledge and agree to vote for candidates who do the same over candidates who do not. The alliance combines the votes and approaches candidates.  To receive our support, candidates need first and foremost to sign on to the same pledge as we do.  They must also be confirmed to be real supporters of democracy.  We make that confirmation according to the following criteria:

  • Has the candidate declared support for our pro-democracy pledge?

  • Has the candidate acted to support the principles that every voter matters? Eg has the candidate supported or introduced measures to enhance voting access, reduce gerrymandering, etc?

  • Has the candidate acted to undermine democracy? Eg has the candidate supported attempts to set aside elections, disenfranchise voters, or overthrow the goverment?

We don’t plan to get into close calls or other issues - there is more than enough good to be done without needing to parse the gray zone.

Nowhere in here are discussions of substantive policies outside of the democratic realm; candidates might be on any side of any issue, so long as they are pro democracy.

Similarly, there may be races where both candidates - or neither - qualify as pro-democracy. In those cases, we will not engage.

Once candidates are selected, we post updates, voting guides on the site - members refer to that, and vote.

For those who want to do more (see below), we also connect them with opportunities to do so.  We do it all without sending fundraising emails or selling names - it’s always up to the members themselves to reach out to do anything they want to do, and they can change their level of engagement at any time.

How You Fit In

Members will be able to engage at whatever level they choose. Levels range from:

  • Members (sign up, get updates, and vote - nothing more)

  • Advocates (engage more deeply; recruiting, spreading the word, etc)

  • Champions (full activists coordinating advocacy, organizing members, and so forth

The rules for members will include:

- Do as much or as little as you want. 

- Only hear the outreach you choose - and no fundraising unless you opt in.

- Honor your own pledges. 

- Vote.

- Stay in the alliance for the long term.

This alliance is a game changer for voters:

    • Voters can become part of a real power bloc rather than being unsupported lone voices - combining their strength with others who share their beliefs, aggregating their power to compel change.

    • Voters have channels to engage, to help fight, beyond (and without) merely writing checks.

    • Voters can engage in this way without needing to join a particular party or campaign; they can do it as part of a separate alliance beholden to no one but their co-alliance members.

    • Crossover voting becomes a much better option when one can cross over in the company of allies, from both parties - allies who will stand together in the event that a candidate subsequently breaks faith and attempts abuses.

    • Together, the potential for victory we offer candidates will make our voices heard, and our voices count, far more than they are today.

This alliance is a game changer for candidates:

    • They can secure votes that would not otherwise be available to them.

    • They can show their commitment to democracy in a clear, accountable way.