Other Group

Commit To Democracy

Website:

https://www.committoflipblue.com/

Status:

Project of Activate America

Type:

Think Tank

Founded:

2016

Executive Directors:

Linda Carman and Molly Hermes

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Commit To Democracy, formerly known as Commit to Flip Blue, is a special project of Flip The West, now known as Activate America. It campaigns for Democratic Party candidates.

For the 2022 midterm elections, the organization joined the left-of-center coalition Field Team 6, a coalition of campaigns and activist organizations that works to register and mobilize left-leaning voters in swing districts in order to help Democrats hold the U.S. Congress. 1

Overview

Commit to Democracy is a California-based organization that campaigns on behalf of Democratic Party candidates on the federal level. The organization targets so-called “swing districts” that are viewed as winnable by either major party. Its goal is to hold both houses of Congress in the 2022 midterm elections and build support for the policies of President Joe Biden. 2

The organization was founded in 2016 with the goal of flipping the U.S. House from Republican to Democratic control. After the election of President Donald Trump, it switched its focus from not just winning the U.S. House but also winning the U.S. Senate and the White House. 2

In 2019, Commit To Flip Blue became a special project of Flip The West, which is now known as Activate America. The organization is part of Activate America’s legal structure, which houses all its FEC reporting and tax compliance requirements. After the 2020 election, the organization changed its name to Commit to Democracy. 2

The organization is based in the San Francisco Bay area and works with other left-of-center organizations in the area. In particular, it has partnered with Indivisible East Bay and Indivisible San Francisco to contact voters across the country and urge them to vote Democratic. 3

Activities

Commit to Democracy trains volunteers over Zoom teleconferences and sends them out to contact voters. It contacts voters through means such as phone banking and texting. It also utilizes postcard writing and mailing to contact other voters. The organization utilizes these methods in races all over the country. 2 4

In addition to contacting voters via mail and phone, it also does in-person canvassing. The canvassing is done in California’s Central Valley and is often done in partnership with other San Francisco Bay Area-based left-of-center organizations. 5

In addition to contacting voters in English, it also contacts voters in Spanish. During the 2020 election, it teamed up with Flip The West, Santa Cruz Indivisible, and Swing Left Santa Cruz to run a weekly phone bank in Spanish to encourage Spanish-speaking voters to vote Democratic and request a mail-in ballot. 6

In the 2020 elections, it claims to have recruited more than 8,100 volunteers to help contact voters nationwide. 7

Field Team 6 Coalition

In the 2022 midterms, Commit to Democracy joined the left-of-center Field Team 6 coalition. The coalition’s purpose is to register and mobilize left-leaning voters to help Democrats hold the U.S. Congress. 1

Partners

Besides Activate America and Field Team 6, Commit to Democracy partners with the Democrats of Rossmoor Club, AZ Blue 2020, Grassroots Democrats HQ, Indivisible, Mobilize America, NAACP, NorCal Blue, Reclaim Our Vote, Swing Left, Vote Forward, Women’s March Contra Costa, Women’s March Oakland, and Working America. 8

Leadership

Commit to Democracy was founded by San Francisco Bay Area community organizer Jackie Moreau. She left the organization in February 2021 but remained as a senior advisor. 7

The organization was turned over to Linda Carman and Molly Hermes, who previously served on the organization’s steering committee. 7 Hermes is a publisher of a blog called Everyday Activist and according to her biography, she has been an activist for 15 years. 9

Finances

As Commit to Democracy is a special project of Activate America, it does not publish any independent tax return or financial disclosure data. 2 However, as of February 2021, it claimed to have 953 donors. 7

References

  1. “Mission.” Field Team 6. Accessed May 9, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission.
  2. “About.” Commit To Democracy. Accessed May 9, 2022. https://www.committoflipblue.com/about_us.
  3. Landau, Ted. “GOTV Workshop Offers Basic Training For Recruits.” Indivisible East Bay. Oct. 17, 2018 https://indivisibleeb.org/2018/10/17/gotv-workshop-offers-basic-training-for-recruits/.
  4. “Virtual Phone Bank With Flip The West & Commit To Flip Blue – Let’S Flip The Senate Blue!.” Indivisible SF. Accessed May 9, 2022 https://indivisiblesf.org/events/2020/7/29/virtual-phone-bank-with-flip-the-west-amp-commit-to-flip-blue-lets-flip-the-senate-blue.
  5. “CANVASSING.”  Commit To Democracy. Accessed May 9, 2022. https://www.committoflipblue.com/canvassing_central_valley.
  6. “Commit To Flip Blue – Spanish Phone Bank Thursday’S: 4-6 PM.”  Cvcalblue. Accessed May 9, 2022. https://cvcalblue.org/event/commit-to-flip-blue-spanish-phone-bank-thursdays-4-6-pm/.
  7. “Commit To Flip Blue.” Facebook. Feb. 3, 2021 https://www.facebook.com/CommitToFlipBlue/photos/a.310265639416174/1160022761107120/?type=3.
  8. “PARTNERS.”  Commit To Democracy. Accessed May 9, 2022. https://www.committoflipblue.com/partners.
  9. About.”  Everyday Activist. Accessed May 9, 2022. https://aneverydayactivist.com/about/.
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