VOLUNTEERS THAT TRAVEL FOR COMPETITIVE ELECTIONS
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PRIORITIZING VOTING ACCESS
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BUILDING COMMUNITY TO ORGANIZE
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REFUSING TO SIT OUT THIS MOMENT
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VOLUNTEERS THAT TRAVEL FOR COMPETITIVE ELECTIONS – PRIORITIZING VOTING ACCESS – BUILDING COMMUNITY TO ORGANIZE – REFUSING TO SIT OUT THIS MOMENT –
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 support progressive campaigns and canidates to win.
WE ARE A SEATTLE BASED ORGANIZATION WITH A NATIONAL IMPACT
Since 2018, Common Power (CoPo) works to foster, support, and amplify a democracy that is just and inclusive. We provide creative on-ramps to civic fieldwork, expand the people engaging in and benefiting from it, and sustain this effort by investing in the next generation of leaders. Today, this community has become a multigenerational and diverse group of volunteers that aim to work across differences to be an effective volunteer base for our Fieldwork program. We catalyze our work through education and bolster a public that takes action in support of a just and inclusive democracy. By fostering a community in which people learn from, support, and grow with one another; we identify and invest in young, diverse leaders and promote them into leadership positions within Common Power and beyond.
TERRY
Sr. Operations and Finance Program Manager
VANNA
BINH
General Manager, Fieldwork
Sr. Institute Program Manager
CELESTRIA
Education & Legacy Building Program Specialist
ASHA
Sr. Operations and Finance Associate
VICTORIA
Sr. Institute Associate
WILLOW
Sr. Marketing Associate
JORDYN
Sr. Institute Associate
BLOSSOM
Sr. Action Academy Associate
JESSICA
Fieldwork Associate
LESLIE
Fieldwork Associate
ERYKA
Sr. Operations and Finance Associate
MATTHEW
Fieldwork Associate
JENNI
Fieldwork Coordinator
ABBY
Development Associate
Director, CP Future and Operations
CHARLES
Executive Director
LARCY
Assoc. Director, Development and Education
Director, The Institute for Common Power
DAVID
WOLE
General Manager, Marketing and Communications
DEVON
Sr. Fieldwork Program Manager
MARIA
OUR CHAMPIONS
Our Common Power “Champions” bring a lifetime of experience as civil rights leaders and footsoldiers, and believe that Common Power is a key part of the continuation of their work in the movement for voting rights. They frequent our learning tours to the south, and participate in our virtual events from time to time. We consider them valued elders who inspire our community, and we love and support them however we can.
Ms. Jo Ann Bland
At 11-years-old, Ms. Jo Ann had been arrested thirteen documented times for protesting against segregation in Selma, Alabama. Born there on July 29, 1953, she became a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at 8-years-old.
Bland was the co-founder and former director of the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma; and founder of Journeys for the Soul, which provides visitors with civil rights tours of the area. She co-founded Foot Soldiers Park, an organization and recreational space dedicated to preserving the history of lesser known and often forgotten civil rights activists.
Charles Mauldin
a 17-year-old and a student leader in Selma AL during the voting rights campaign of the 1960s. He learned from Dr. Bernard Lafayette and other civil rights movement leaders. He was inspired by the Teachers March on January 22, 1965, a moment when educators took action for voting rights.
On Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, Mr. Mauldin was in the third row of American heroes who marched from AME Brown Chapel toward Montgomery. On the far side of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the marchers were beaten by Alabama police and sheriffs and forced back to Selma. But Mr. Mauldin and the others returned two days later, and from March 21 - 25 he was one of the 300 marchers who walked the full 54 miles to Montgomery.
WE WORK WITH LOCAL PARTNERS
When we hit the ground, we're knocking on doors where we can make the most impact. We always work through local organizations, campaigns, and state parties to make sure we show up where they need capacity the most. Sometimes this is in high-density apartments to track down young voters, or in a booming suburb with recent move-ins, in a non-English speaking immigrant neighborhood, a working class neighborhood with some rough edges and lots of support, or in the foothills where you have to drive between each house.
By plugging into current efforts, we are not re-inventing the wheel or duplicating hard work. We plug holes, raise morale, and help our partners meet their goals faster and more effectively. We leave our assumptions and expectations at home because we know that the most lasting change is one driven by folks who are living and working in these communities
CoPo COMMUNITIES
At Common Power our commitment to building a lasting effort to strengthen our democracy is manifested in community. These Communities create unique spaces for people at different life stages to on-ramp them into civic action through community, education, and investment in next-generation leadership. All of these elements in concert allow us to sustain and grow this effort for political engagement every year, at home, and around the country.
Purpose: The community that started it all in 2018, the core Common Power group was formed by volunteers of retirement life-stage who bring decades of experience, often with leadership backgrounds, to their work with CP. Today, this community has become a multigenerational and diverse group that aims to work across differences to be an effective volunteer base for CoPo’s Fieldwork program.
Programs: Fieldwork, Volunteer Training, and Voter Registration.
Purpose: The broad education community at Common Power has launched on its own as The Institute for Common Power, a place for transformational and experiential learning. The educational offerings are mostly virtual and year-round with an international audience. The Institute also has specific programming for educators to learn the objective truths of US history and Voting rights in the US.
Through its extensive year-round programming, The Institute is the primary catalyst for activating and re-engaging our volunteers across Common Power.
Programs: Educator Learning Tours, Virtual Courses, Lectures, etc.
Purpose: In the summer of 2020 we launched Action Academy: a 10-week program that teaches civic engagement. Hundreds of college-age students each year have participated in this program. Through their friend groups, they’ve grown the overall Common Power Future Community to encompass volunteer Action Days, community-building social events, and the creation of CoPo Squads that support national CoPo Team efforts. CoPo Future folx seed the future of fieldwork and leadership positions within Common Power.
Programs: Action Academy, Crew Leads, Campus Leads
Volunteer Development System
WE’RE FIELD MULTIPLIERS.
When we hit the ground, we're knocking on doors where we can make the most impact. We always work through local organizations, campaigns, and state parties to make sure we show up where they need capacity the most. Sometimes this is in high-density apartments to track down young voters, or in a booming suburb with recent move-ins, in a non-English speaking immigrant neighborhood, a working class neighborhood with some rough edges and lots of support, or in the foothills where you have to drive between each house.
By plugging into current efforts, we are not re-inventing the wheel or duplicating hard work. We plug holes, raise morale, and help our partners meet their goals faster and more effectively. We leave our assumptions and expectations at home because we know that the most lasting change is one driven by folks who are living and working in these communities
Read through our 2025 Impact Report and click the button below to learn more about how we win elections!