Debra Cleaver
Voter registration is voter suppression
San Francisco, California, United States
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Debra Cleaver is the Founder & CEO of VoteAmerica, a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization which conducts data-informed campaigns to register and turnout the 100+ million Americans traditionally excluded by partisan political outreach efforts. A serial founder whose previous organizations have included Vote.org (2016), ElectionDay.org (2018), Long Distance Voter (2008), and Swing the State (2004), she's been working at the intersection of technology and democracy since 2004, several years before “civic tech” and “online organization” entered the cultural lexicon. Her various organizations have collectively registered over 4 million people, conducted mass marketing campaigns reaching tens of millions, and pioneered tactics now considered industry standards. She is an alumna of Pomona College and Y Combinator, a former Draper Richards Kaplan Fellow for Social Entrepreneurship. She frequently speaks on issues impacting voter turnout and digital innovations to increase access to the polls, with appearances at events such as SXSW, Netroots Nation, Harvard Law, the Harvard School of Government, University of Michigan, SUMMIT Ideas Festival, Lesbians Who Tech, and Accelerate Good Global.
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Beyond The DMV: How integrating with major tech platforms can modernize American voter registration.
Imagine if tomorrow no one was registered to vote. How could we most quickly & efficiently rebuild the registration rolls nationwide?
Paperwork is boring, but necessary. And voter registration is paperwork.
Nearly 3 decades after the Motor Voter Act, fewer Americans than ever are driving personal vehicles, and thus interacting with the DMV. But numerous other crucial tasks require filing paperwork which includes our Personal Identifiable Information (PII). Nearly 195 million people file their taxes electronically, 40 million move to a new home address, and 20 million college students register for classes.
The act of registering to vote shouldn’t create an additional paperwork burden. We can build it into systems already being used. In 2020 for example, our partner Credit Karma integrated VoteAmerica’s tools into their user experience, driving nearly 600,000 users through our tools in less than 2 months.
And that’s just the start. It's time we adapt & innovate to modern life on an even larger scale.
Will be presenting this for the first time at Good Tech Fest 2022 [https://www.goodtechfest.com/good-tech-fest-2022].
Netroots Nation
Panel Session: Registering More Young People To Vote Is The Way To Save Democracy
The youth vote can save democracy. And organizations focused on reaching young voters are bringing creativity and resilience to the task of turning out those voters. Campus-focused programs were hugely successful in 2020 (including programs on all HBCU campuses). Organizers reached young voters with a first-of-its-kind TikTok influencer campaign. Leaders from VoteAmerica will discuss its partnership with the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University to activate young voters. Mississippi Votes will share its experience in reaching young voters of color in one of the most voter suppressed states in the country and plans for sustaining this work in the future.
Accelerate Good Global 2020
Session Title: "Real Talk: What Your Grantees Wish You Knew"
Netroots Nation 2019
Panel Participant: "Beyond The Voter File: How Relational Organizing Can Expand The Electorate & Help Us Win"
At its core, relational organizing is friends, family, and neighbors reaching out to people they know to vote. When applied well, relational organizing can help turn out low propensity voters and people who are not on the voter file. What does it take to run a successful program? What are the best practices and tricks to reaching scale? What pitfalls should you avoid? Come learn from people who have launched and implemented both online and offline relational organizing programs around the country.
Netroots Nation 2019
Panel Participant: "The $5,000 Nonprofit: Free of Low-Cost Resources & Tools to Help You Win"
The lack of adequate funding is a chronic condition in the progressive space, and one that is unlikely to be cured anytime soon. But we’re not going to let a little thing like “lack of funding” stop us. Learn from Debra Cleaver (Vote.org) and Deborah Barron (New Left Accelerator) about the myriad free or low-cost resources that are available to non-profits and other impact organizations. We’ll teach you all about low cost technology tools including beautiful (and nearly free) website builders, powerful CRMs, high-impact organizing and advocacy tools, fundraising technology, design tools and more. We’ll also go over high-quality, free or low-cost legal resources to assist your advocacy and impact work.
This training is best suited for those who are actively considering starting a new organization or campaign, or who are actively running a new organization or campaign. You don’t need to be broke to attend: even if your org has money, you’re bound to pick up some pointers.
Lesbians Who Tech SF Summit
Session Title: For the Love of God, Please Stop Ignoring Elections Debra Cleaver
Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club: Tech, Queers & Progressive Politics
"Tech, Queers & Progressive Politics: A Panel Discussion To Disrupt The Divide"
Come tech workers, come queers, come progressives, come allies, come all - it’s time to collaborate on solutions for our city’s most pressing issues! Eager to help foster a more constructive dialogue between San Francisco’s booming tech community and the city’s long-standing progressive base, the Harvey Milk Democratic Club is excited to host this important panel discussion and start the conversation about what’s been holding us up.
With a vibrant panel reflecting both the diversity of the Bay Area and tech industry, the discussion will focus on:
- The intersection of the tech industry and the progressive community, highlighting members with shared affiliation and the organizations that marry technology & social engagement
- Identifying how to change the communication dynamic between the communities to foster more open dialogue and collaboration
- Strategizing how we can shift the “us vs. them” paradigm to one of shared thriving
- Unpacking the barriers making it difficult for tech workers to engage with issues such as housing affordability, homelessness, racial justice, public transportation, and more
Netroots Nation 2014
Panel Title: "New Frontiers in Voter Contact: How Open APIs, Mobile, and Real-Time Data Collection are Changing Field Forever"
Details: A new wave of technology startups are leveraging an increasingly open progressive data ecosystem to build tools that enable campaigns and organizations to make faster, better, more responsive decisions. Imagine a voter receiving a fundraising email immediately after a contact at the door. Or a real postcard arriving in your mailbox with a personalized GOTV message from a Facebook friend. A new wave of progressive innovators including Organizer, Amicus, and the organizers of the Open Supporter Data Interface (OSDI) are giving progressives an edge by enabling more integrated and targeted data-driven campaigns. Learn how these technologies are enabling leading unions and committees to take their tech to the next level, and contribute your ideas for the future of voter contact.
Debra Cleaver
Voter registration is voter suppression
San Francisco, California, United States
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