I’m Dan, a data person from Oklahoma. I collect precinct lines from county election boards, build tools that show organizers their own turf, and map elections down to the precinct. I’m running for Executive Vice President of the Young Democrats of America, and this notebook is where I show my work.
A party that only contests safe seats loses the next generation. The chapters in red states and rural counties do the toughest organizing in the country with the thinnest resources. YDA should be organizing everywhere, and it should resource the work accordingly.
Turnout targets, precinct maps, and voter analysis are treated like a luxury for the biggest states. They aren’t a luxury. As YDA’s volunteer Chief Data Officer I’ve built these tools for this cycle; as EVP I’d hand them to every chapter that wants them, with the training to use them.
The point isn’t one election. I want to leave YDA with systems, training, and a community of people who can keep the next generation of leaders strong long after this cycle ends.
Questions, arguments, and requests for a map of your own turf are all welcome. That’s how most of these notes start.