DNC Takes Major Step Forward In Chair Tom Perez’s Overhaul Of Democratic Data And Technology

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Democratic state parties today announced a landmark agreement to achieve a critical component of Chair Tom Perez’s overhaul of Democratic data and technology by participating in a data exchange that will allow candidates, state parties, the DNC and the progressive ecosystem to share data and leverage all of the voter contact work of the entire Democratic community. In a vote this afternoon, state parties agreed to join with the DNC to acquire and swap data in real time with a new outside identity, the Democratic Data Exchange (DDEx), which will also acquire and swap data with progressive allies on a blind basis. Former DNC Chair Howard Dean will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the DDEx.

This historic partnership between the DNC and state parties to expand and evolve the Party’s data and tech capacity is the product of months of work by DNC Chair Tom Perez, DNC Senior Advisor Mary Beth Cahill, and Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC) President Ken Martin.

Through the DDEx, Democratic campaigns will share their data to become the beneficiaries of cutting-edge investments in voter-contact strategies by outside groups, while those groups gain the tremendous benefits of access to the Democratic Party’s unrivaled voter data. As a result of this agreement, the Democratic Party and its allies have an unprecedented opportunity to unify the use of data across campaigns, up and down the ticket. Whether you’re working for a campaign or an outside group, whenever you talk to a voter, the entire progressive community can benefit from the outreach.

“This agreement gives our candidates the tools they need to win elections. Through this historic partnership with state parties, we’re providing Democratic campaigns up and down the ballot with an unprecedented wealth of data that will allow them to run highly-targeted campaigns that simply wouldn’t be possible under the status quo. This deal ensures that our campaigns aren’t leaving anything on the table as we head into the election of our lifetimes,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez.

“Today, the DNC and state parties have forged a historic partnership to give our candidates the data advantage they need to keep winning elections in 2019, 2020 and beyond.  This agreement empowers state parties to provide candidates with vastly enriched voter data, putting them in the strongest possible position to win elections at every level,” said ASDC President Ken Martin.

“This is a watershed moment for Democratic data, and a historic moment for party unity. The importance of what Tom Perez and the state chairs have accomplished here cannot be overstated. They have delivered a deal that will have enormous benefits for our candidates, campaigns and organizations now and for years to come,” said former DNC Chair Gov. Howard Dean.