The “Why” of Shared Data Infrastructure

Political tech tools are still often thought of as add-ons or extras when it comes to electoral and campaign strategy.

Short term fixes for data and tool needs are often scoped to a specific issue that a campaign or an organization is facing: for example, building bespoke data pipelines for a campaign’s CRM and voter contact tools. These fixes are not always sustainable, or even relevant, beyond a single election cycle or issue campaign.

That’s why it is paramount to have shared data infrastructure for political tech tools that is widely adopted across the ecosystem. 

Shared infrastructure assures mutual success for the tools and the campaigns and organizations that utilize them. Just a few examples:

• Data and program support staff can spend more of their time providing insight and analysis, rather than managing and troubleshooting a web of disconnected integrations.

• Organizations can tap into a wealth of historical activity to shape programs, rather than being limited to siloed or restricted data sets.

• Campaigns and organizations can match the right tool to the right program, with minimized change management costs.

• A more expansive data model allows for flexibility without losing the benefits of standardization.

• The ecosystem can rely on trusted data infrastructure that is sustainable beyond a single cycle, ensuring programs are focused on forward-thinking strategy and needs, rather than re-inventing the wheel.

One of the core goals driving MIG’s mission is to provide and innovate on this shared infrastructure. That's why we are thrilled to be hosting a panel at Netroots Nation covering this topic: “A Connected Movement: Modernizing Our Tech Ecosystem." We’ll have a discussion with political data experts and tool practitioners about the future of progressive data infrastructure.

If you’re coming to Netroots this year, we’d love to have you join us and engage in this conversation on Friday, August 8th. See you in New Orleans!