Team Democracy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, representing all Americans in our shared commitment to defending and strengthening the most essential cornerstones of American democracy. Our signature initiative is the nonpartisan Safe and Fair Election Pledge. With our robust partners, and with the help of like-minded Americans across the country, we work tirelessly to reduce polarization. We help to turn our public narrative from one of rancor and mistrust, to one that affirms our common allegiance to the core tenets of The Election Pledge. And we ask your help in securing commitments from our elected officials to do the same. Ours is the broadest of all possible tents, and we welcome you to the Team Democracy movement.
It's simple, really. We are Americans. And America needs us to be better than we've been. Team Democracy's mission is to rally all Americans - and especially those who we elect to represent us - to a shared identity, and a shared commitment to democracy. We ask of ourselves, and of our elected leaders, an enduring commitment to the safe and fair electoral processes that will keep democracy on track for another two and a half centuries, and beyond. As democracies around the world resist the mounting efforts of autocracies to undermine them, our commitment to shoring up democracy here at home could not be more important, or more timely.
Ken Powley and Chris Newlon are the co-founders of Team Democracy. They’re also brothers-in-law from opposite sides of the political spectrum, who share an affinity for whitewater rivers.
January 6 of 2021 triggered difficult conversations all across the country. For Chris and Ken, that conversation has carried on every day since January 7. Since Ken lives in Mountain Top, PA, and Chris lives in Chapel Hill, NC, many of their “kitchen table” conversations happened online over the course of 2021. In the months since, they have both “retired”, Ken from 46 years at the helm of a whitewater rafting company, and Chris from four decades in tech, mostly at IBM, to dedicate their full time effort to Team Democracy.
Their shared commitment to strengthening the cornerstones of our democratic republic, and finding critical pieces of common ground - for themselves and for the country - led them to found Team Democracy, and to write the Safe and Fair Election Pledge.
General Michael Hayden, four-star General, USAF, and former Director of CIA and NSA, soon joined Team Democracy as Chairman of the Board. (Ken and the General share grandchildren who were evacuated from Kyiv, Ukraine in early 2022.) Hayden's extensive experience defending democracies abroad brings a global perspective to the critically important mission of defending and strengthening our democracy here at home.
More than one year, and countless kitchen table conversations later, Team Democracy has taken flight. Non-profit organizations, current and former elected officials, national security leaders, and businesses have embraced the work and support the mission.
Team Democracy does not endorse parties or candidates. The Election Pledge is a way for Americans, candidates and incumbents of all stripes to come together on an important piece of common ground, and begin to focus more on the things that unite us as Americans - like our shared love of our country, and our commitment to the cornerstones that keep our democracy strong and resilient.
The United States is a republic which Webster defines as "A state in which sovereign power resides in the whole body of the people and is exercised by representatives elected by them." The Election Pledge is a commitment to the democratic institutions and electoral processes that ensure that sovereign power remains with the people in our democratic republic rather than residing in government officials.
No. All of the freedoms we hold dear are built upon a foundation of democratic ideals and processes. If we are ever tempted to compromise those democratic underpinnings for political advantage, we will quickly find ourselves confronting the accumulation of power in an autocratic movement. And history demonstrates that once in power, autocrats never leave willingly. The common theme among autocratic movements is that their opponents are evil, and must be eradicated. It’s incumbent upon the citizens of a democratic republic to reject this kind of thinking; and to reject the kind of tribalism it creates. Nothing is more important than protecting the processes that permit us as citizens to peacefully change the makeup of our government every few years.
The Election Pledge is aligned with the constitution. In a time of unusually deep polarization, The Election Pledge shines a much needed light on the two most important cornerstones of our democratic republic: (1) safe and fair elections and (2) the peaceful transition of power. Our democratic republic has weathered many storms; but it cannot withstand the demise of either of these essential underpinnings.
There are lots of great organizations that are committed to protecting our democracy. Over the centuries, organizations like these have helped to expand and protect voters' rights as well as improve the security and fairness of our elections. In today’s hyperpolarized environment, Team Democracy’s Election Pledge is narrowly focused on establishing common ground around the two most important cornerstones of our democracy: safe and fair elections, and the peaceful transition of power.
Team Democracy brings voters, incumbents and candidates of all stripes to a shared realization and affirmation of our common identity as Americans. In doing so, we elevate the national narrative, reduce polarization, and provide a framework for building a movement that enhances the work of important initiatives across the democracy landscape.
Studies show that pledges can drive behavior changes especially when they involve a public commitment. A study of Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge found that the pledge influenced even those politicians who didn't sign it. For a pledge to be effective, politicians must understand that the pledge commitment is important to their voters and donors and that there will be significant publicity related to the pledge and their relationship to it. Team Democracy has designed The Election Pledge to maximize its visibility and impact and drive positive change.
The Election Pledge is part of a larger ecosystem that aims to support and strengthen the democratic nature of the republic that each of us calls home. As Americans, we have every expectation that our elected representatives will commit themselves to supporting the lawful electoral processes by which they were (or aim to be) elected. And we have every expectation that they will make good on that commitment. Each of us can do our part by
(1) signing the Pledge ourselves,
(2) imploring our candidates and incumbents to sign it too, and
(3) monitoring their adherence to the Pledge's core tenets, so that ignoring it isn't a viable option.
More than 80% of Americans* say they share a concern about ongoing domestic threats to our democracy. This represents a level of public support that gives The Election Pledge its unique ability to hold signers accountable.
*NPR-PBS/Marist National Poll, 2021