Meet our Data Team
Progressive Turnout Project’s field, digital, and mail oriented programs that span across the country are driven by our robust data team at the Chicago-based headquarters.
The data team synthesizes existing research and new tactics to develop PTP’s programs. They also create target universes that help our field staff talk to voters as efficiently as possible to get out the vote. The field efforts that the data team’s work drives includes going door-to-door and texting Democratic voters in the area in an effort to help convince them to vote.
“The way I’ve always seen PTP’s data and analytics team is that we’re responsible for making every part of this organization as data-driven as possible,” said Data and Analytics Director Connie Gao.
While the team of four has various responsibilities that differ day-to-day, they each say that an interest in politics and fighting for what’s right led them to Team Turnout despite their varied professional backgrounds.
“Before I took this role, I was working in local government,” Deputy Data Director Vy Luu, who came to PTP after working in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services in San Jose, said. “But while I was working there I realized I missed doing work that was more directly political and aligned with my politics.”
Prior to working at PTP, Deputy Data Director Jen Whitman, who has a PhD in neuroscience from the University of British Columbia, was recently a researcher at Northwestern University.
“I’ve been a data person since straight out of high school,” Whitman said. “In 2016, I started getting involved in progressive organizing like many people. I figured I could use my data skills and progressive values to make an impact.”
Both Gao and Deputy Data Director Emily Rice came to PTP with backgrounds in field organizing and fundraising on various political campaigns across the United States but remained committed to their interest in how much of an impact data has on campaigns.
As for the team’s current tasks, each individual works on a variety of both short term and long term projects that focus on using the many tools that our nationwide team use to help get out the vote.
These tasks include creating a map for field teams to use to keep track of their progress in the congressional districts, tracking the progress of field teams and ensuring the expected number of doors are knocked, and working to make sure that Field Representatives in the organization’s offices across the country are able to efficiently use the tools that help them speak to voters.
“We take a really comprehensive approach to what being data driven looks like,” Gao said.
Through it all, the team hopes that their efforts along with the collective work of the organization as a whole leads to a blue wave this November.
“I think data matters because it helps you make those really small adjustments that have a really big impact when you can actually look at the work you’re doing in a really critical and interesting way,” Rice said.
