OUR 12 GUIDING PRINCIPLES

12 Principles for 12 stones. We came together for a singular mission of getting out the vote. As we worked, we grew to more fully understand what brought us together, and what sustains us in the struggle for a more perfect union. It is our duty to win.

  • Our democracy is not just and inclusive, but it should be, and can be. Making it so will not happen by us simply seeking our own enrichment or expanding our knowledge, but by taking action. This requires those who know and believe to do the hard work first. For them to take on risk and sacrifice their comfort. Action.

  • Further. Each election is important, but our work is never only about one individual election. We must fight in every election season, and stay vigilant between them. We must always remain ready, constantly educating, training, and deploying our community into the work. We don’t get ready, we stay ready. Endure.

  • Developing next generation leaders and community members is the only way we ensure we can continue our work for the long term, across years and decades. Younger generations are also inherently more diverse across race, gender identity, and sexuality, ensuring a cohort truly representative of our country’s future. Providing them with leadership roles infuses our org with fresh ideas and keeps us aware of new challenges. Next-Generation.

  • Working intentionally across-generations ensures we always reflect a diverse range of views, pulling in the decades of experience from older generations while simultaneously challenging norms with younger generations. Grace and empathy are necessary as we work across difference. Cross-Generation.

  • Since our beginning, education has moved us toward understanding, then action. Today, it is foundational for our community, and an essential part of our identity. From the past, we discover how to build our organization better, how to create coalitions, and how to sustain beyond years. We learn from previous struggles as we engage in current ones. Education.

  • The full delivery of the Common Power promise are volunteers for voters across the country. Without volunteers we do not move elections, codify rights, or protect our democracy. Volunteering allows our community to fully honor the legacy of movements for civil rights, voting rights, and freedom. Volunteers.

  • Everyone deserves the right to vote. Everyone needs help in exercising this right. Our commitment to providing that help, and strengthening this right, will contribute to dismantling systems of injustice and move us towards a more inclusive democracy. All other rights are sustained by this one. Voting.

THIS IS WHAT WE BELIEVE

These are the elements that make us who we are–the essential pieces that started us at our origin, and focus us towards the future.

The way we work is as important as what we hope to accomplish, and we look for ways to make our beliefs a reality, even if it means challenging long established norms.

THIS IS HOW WE WIN

    • We believe in democracy, and operate a hierarchical staff model.

    • We make long term investments in community, and often prioritize short term political goals.

    • We partner with grassroots community orgs, and partisan candidates.

    • We support left leaning economic populists and centrist establishment capitalists.

    • We place high value in relationships and empathy, while understanding that money and data are essential to our success.

    • We seek some level of certainty, and intentionally leave a significant portion of our planning as uncertain, allowing partners, communities, and other stakeholders to inform our destination. We are 100% comfortable with 70% certainty.

    • We work to achieve victory, while realizing that failure allows for the most significant growth. We hope for the best. We plan for the worst. These two energies, and all others, meet in the middle.

    We know that to accomplish our goals, we must confront, then embrace contradictions. Balance.

  • We learn best about history while standing on the ground where it was made, and we make new history best by taking action on that same ground. When faced with a choice of doing our work remotely or in-person, we choose the latter whenever we can afford to do so. We show up. In-Person.

  • We work with organizations, candidates, and state parties all over the country, and we follow them as they build strategy, implement tactics, and define success. As our relationships with them grow, we earn the ability to give them feedback and participate more deeply in their strategy building. Because of this, it is imperative that we choose our partners wisely…. Partners.

  • This works both ways: we move slow as we build relationships and trust with individuals and organizations, and we move fast when all parties have high levels of trust. Start slow. Earn fast. Trust.

  • Together. Because we know community sustains our work beyond single elections and across years, we look for ways to not only foster the concepts of community, but build intentional structures in our organizing to codify community. We work in Teams, Crews, and Squads. Community is in everything, even if it doesn’t come first. Community.