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Political Party/527

Field Team 6

Website:

https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission
Status:

527 organization
Formation:

2019
Executive Director:

Jason Berlin
Type:

Get-out-the-vote group

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 Field Team 6 is a pro-Democratic Party get-out-the-vote group that seeks to register Democratic voters in 10 states to maintain Democratic control of the U.S. Congress. In the 2022 elections, the group is targeting California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The group is led by former television writer Jason Berlin and was co-founded by Democratic California state Senate aide Michael Tonetti. 1

Field Team 6’s slogan is “Register Democrats. Save the World.” The group’s name is an apparent reference to SEAL Team Six, the elite Navy unit responsible for killing Osama Bin Laden.

As of March 2020, Field Team 6 had 119 volunteers. 2 As of April 2022, the group claims to have registered 1.7 million Democratic voters. 3

Activities

Field Team 6 targets “hot spots” like courthouses and college campuses to find unregistered voters who are likely to vote Democratic. 4 In interviews, executive director Jason Berlin touted the group’s status as a 527 organization as an asset that allows it to be explicitly partisan and more aggressive in its pursuit of ideologically aligned potential voters. 5

In October 2020, Field Team Six organized a Texting Party with the cast of “Scandal,” a hit television show that had ended two and half years earlier. 6

Field Team 6 encourages individuals to register to vote on its website. 7

Leadership

Field Team 6 was co-founded by Jason Berlin and Michael Tonetti in 2019. Berlin was a “reality tv and comedy writer” for 18 years, but quit his job to volunteer for Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts after the election of President Donald Trump “broke [his] mind and heart.” During the 2018 midterm election, he volunteered for Organizing for Action, Swing Left, and the California Democratic Party, and claims to have registered 6,000 voters in California with his team. These efforts helped flip the district to the Democrats with the election of U.S. Representative Katie Hill (D-CA). Soon after, he co-founded Field Team 6 and became the group’s executive director. 8 9 10

Berlin’s co-founder, Michael Tonetti, worked alongside Berlin at the California Democratic Party during the 2018 midterm elections. Tonetti’s role in the organization after its founding is unclear, and it is not listed on his LinkedIn. In 2020, Tonetti was appointed communications director to California State Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles). 11 12

Political Spending and Funding

In the 2020 election cycle, Field Team 6 raised $1.48 million and spent $1.34 million on independent political expenditures. As of April 2022, the group has raised almost $550,000 and spent more than $600,000 in the 2020 cycle. 13

Field Team 6 started with no seed money. 14 The group’s largest donor is Bill Prady, a television writer and producer who co-created “The Big Bang Theory.” Secretary of State Project co-founder Megan Hull is also a major donor. 15

Erroneous Voter Registration Removal Texts

In September 2020, WKOW.com reported that Wisconsin resident Sean Burke received a text message from Field Team 6 stating that “it looks like Wisconsin has taken someone by your name off the voter rolls.” Burke, a former poll worker, checked his voter registration and found it was still active. He told WKOW.com that Field Team 6 had likely seen a duplicate of his name removed from a voter registration list purchased from Wisconsin, and he warned that it was irresponsible for the group to send out mass texts with such errors. 16

Partner Organizations

Field Team 6 lists national and state-level partner groups, including Higher Heights and Demcast USA. 17

References

  1. “Want to lead a voter drive the Field Team 6 Way.” Field Team 6. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/.
  2. [1] “Jason Berlin and Field Team 6.” New Faces of Democracy. March 4, 2020. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://newfacesofdemocracy.org/jason-berlin-and-field-team-6/.
  3. “The Plan.” Field Team 6. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission.
  4. “Meet Jason Berlin of Field Team 6 in Mt. Washington.” Voyage LA. July 23, 2019. Accessed April 12, 2022. http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-jason-berlin-field-team-6-mt-washington/.
  5. “Jason Berlin and Field Team 6.” New Faces of Democracy. March 4, 2020. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://newfacesofdemocracy.org/jason-berlin-and-field-team-6/
  6. Pener, Degan. “’Scandal’ Cast to Reunite for Virtual Texting Party to Register Voters.” The Hollywood Reporter. October 14, 2022. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/scandal-cast-to-reunite-for-virtual-texting-party-to-register-voters-4076548/
  7. “Voterizer.org.” Voterizer.org. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://voterizer.org/.
  8. “Jason Berlin and Field Team 6.” New Faces of Democracy. March 4, 2020. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://newfacesofdemocracy.org/jason-berlin-and-field-team-6/.
  9. “Jason Berlin.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonberlin/.
  10. “Meet Jason Berlin of Field Team 6 in Mt. Washington.” Voyage LA. July 23, 2019. Accessed April 12, 2022. http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-jason-berlin-field-team-6-mt-washington/.
  11. “Michael Tonetti.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-tonetti-91798062/.
  12. “Meet Jason Berlin of Field Team 6 in Mt. Washington.” Voyage LA. July 23, 2019. Accessed April 12, 2022. http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-jason-berlin-field-team-6-mt-washington/.
  13. “PAC Profile: Field Team Six.” Open Secrets. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/field-team-six/C00695346/summary/2014
  14. “Jason Berlin and Field Team 6.” New Faces of Democracy. March 4, 2020. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://newfacesofdemocracy.org/jason-berlin-and-field-team-6/.
  15. “PAC Profile: Field Team Six.” Open Secrets. AccessedApril 12, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/field-team-six/C00695346/summary/2014.
  16. Bayatpour, A. J. “Voters confused by group’s inaccurate voter registration text messages.” WKNOW.com September 20, 2020. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.wkow.com/news/voters-confused-by-group-s-inaccurate-voter-registration-text-messages/article_b3b270ae-ee2e-5504-a4ba-843bcfd75375.html.
  17. “Our Partners.” Field Team 6. Accessed April 12, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission.
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