The 2026 midterms are shaping up to be pivotal. Democrats need volunteers. Progressives are motivated. But here's what our research reveals: they're done with performative politics.
I ran a synthetic voter study with 6 progressive-leaning Americans to understand what would make them volunteer for campaigns in 2026. The findings are fierce interesting - and potentially game-changing for anyone trying to mobilize the base.
The headline? These voters are READY to show up. But they have conditions.
Key Findings
"I'll help if it feels real and local. If it smells like theater or a cash grab, I'm out." - That's a 39-year-old from Oakland.
Data privacy came up REPEATEDLY. Voters want "minimal data hoovering, clear data retention, no creepy app permissions."
"If you cannot plan a canvass in the rain, you cannot govern." Operational competence matters.
Local stakes beat national rhetoric: "mental health beds, cleaner corridors, safer nights" resonate more than abstract democracy talk.
What This Means for 2026 Campaigns
Progressive volunteers aren't asking for much - they're asking for COMPETENCE:
1. **Clear operations**: Training, simple tools, realistic shifts, weather contingencies 2. **Data respect**: Transparent practices, no selling contacts, minimal app permissions 3. **Local focus**: Tangible outcomes they can see on their block 4. **Humble leadership**: Show up and listen before talking 5. **No culture war bait**: Fearmongering mailers and outrage fundraising are turn-offs
The campaigns that nail these basics will have volunteers lining up. The ones that don't? They'll wonder why motivated progressives stayed home.
What the Voters Said
We asked voters to share their honest perspectives. Here's what they told us:
What would make you more or less likely to volunteer for a political campaign in 2026?
Micah Brooks, 39, Oakland, CA, USA:
Short version: I’ll help if it feels real and local. If it smells like theater or a cash grab, I’m out. What makes me more likely to volunteer: • Local stakes I can see on my block - mental health beds, cleaner corridors, safer nights without dehumanizing people. • Humble leadership that shows up at food pantries and listens before talking. • Clear plan and receipts for how volunteer time turns into outcomes, not vibes. • Solid logistics: short training, simple tools, buddy system for canvassing, an organizer who answers texts. • Flexible shifts that fit around my job search and church night. Transit stipends or snacks help. • Respectful scripts that don’t trash neighbors, churches, or unhoused folks. • Data restraint: minimal info collected, no selling my contacts, no surprise spam banks. • Transparency on money so it’s not just consultants eating the budget while volunteers carry water. What makes me less likely: • Culture war bait and fearmongering mailers that crank outr
William Tangarife, 31, Unemployed Adult, Allentown, PA, USA:
Short answer: I’ll give time to a campaign that runs like a well-organized shop, not a vibes factory. If it looks like chaos or culture-war cosplay, I’m out. More likely if: • Receipts up front - clear plan, measurable targets, weekly check-ins. Show me the field plan, not a pep talk. • Work that matches my skills - logistics, bilingual texting, translation, data QA, voter-education one-pagers on mail-in ballots or local races. Let me be the torque wrench, not a noisemaker. • Local focus that actually touches lives - school board, county, statehouse. Healthcare access, grid upgrades, zoning, civil liberties. Adults in the room, not outrage merchants. • Privacy-respectful tooling - minimal data hoovering, clear data retention, no creepy app permissions. Do not sell my info to a donor list. • Bilingual and culturally competent - Spanish materials, staff who can actually talk to my household, prayer break respect, no alcohol-centered events. • Flexible, low-commute shifts - remote
Jace Coronado, 41, Unemployed Adult, Columbus, OH, USA:
Cold rain and campaign noise make a lousy mix. If I’m giving up a Saturday, it better feel like turning wrenches, not being window dressing. More likely: • Local races that hit my bills: utilities, council, sheriff, school levies that are straight about millage. • Concrete plan with price tags: show receipts on fees, clinics staying in-network, and trade school support. • Boring competence over culture-war chest thumping. • Hands-on jobs: build signs, route yard signs, door-hanger runs with a printed map. No mandatory app. • Short, predictable shifts. Don’t book me during Buckeyes or make me sit through a two-hour pep talk. • Cover basics: gas card, coffee, maybe gloves if we’re freezing. Keep it simple. • Let me talk like a human, not read a script I don’t believe. • Respect my info. No spam texts, no selling my data. Less likely: • National circus, influencer selfies, doom emails every hour. • Purity tests, loyalty oaths, or “post this on your socials.” Hard pass. • Clunky apps, tr
Some Democrats say the party should primary incumbents who aren't fighting hard enough. What's your reaction to that?
Timothy Navarrete, 38, Office Manager, Rural, WA, USA:
Short answer: pick your battles. Knee-jerk primaries for not yelling loud enough make everything dumber and burn cash that should go to nuts-and-bolts work. If an incumbent is lazy, corrupt, or ignoring district basics, then fine - bring a serious challenger with a real field plan, not Twitter clips. What would justify a primary to me: • No district work - no office hours, no grant chasing, no wildfire or broadband follow-through. • Empty votes - lots of speeches, zero co-sponsorships or fixes that clear a committee. • Ethics messes - I’m not rewarding that. When to skip it: • Purity tests and cable-show drama. • Splitting the vote in a swing seat and handing it to an extreme. • Swapping a steady grinder for a loud rookie with no ground game. Bottom line: competence over purity. Show me district results in 12 months - fire work, broadband miles, clinic issues moved - or step aside. Otherwise, quit the performative warfare and govern.
Micah Brooks, 39, Oakland, CA, USA:
Gut check: primaries are a tool, not a virtue signal. If an incumbent is coasting, dodging constituents, or slow to deliver on basics like mental health beds, street safety coordination, or clean streets, then a real primary makes sense. If it’s just a purity contest about who yells louder online, hard pass. I’m over the endless fundraisers and glossy mailers while rent keeps climbing and the sidewalks look the same. In deep-blue seats, fine, sharpen the bench. In swing seats, ask if you’re improving outcomes or just handing the seat away. I want less “fighting” talk and more delivering with receipts. What I look for: • Accountability with a clear, local case, not Twitter drama • A viable challenger with ground game, not just vibes • Community voices first, not national influencers • Results people can feel within a year What do you think?
Charles Perez, 42, Unemployed Adult, Mobile, AL, USA:
Gut reaction: use primaries like a tool, not a hobby. If an incumbent is sleepwalking while folks here drown in insurance bills and storm prep, then yeah, run someone who actually shows up. But I do not have patience for purity tests or Twitter warriors who can’t win a general. In a red state, picking dumb fights is how you end up with nothing. I want less chest-thumping and more boring wins, especially with money sloshing around everywhere from jerseys to politics. What counts as fighting to me: • Show up at town halls when libraries and teachers get hit • Push on healthcare costs and drug prices, not just slogans • Deliver funds for buses, HVAC, drainage, and flood projects • Be present after storms, not just for photo ops If you can’t show that, step aside and let someone hungry take the wheel.
How motivated are you to vote in the 2026 midterm elections compared to 2024? What's driving that?
Jace Coronado, 41, Unemployed Adult, Columbus, OH, USA:
Short answer: more motivated for 2026 than I was for 2024. The presidential circus felt like noise. Midterms hit the stuff that actually lands on my kitchen table and my toolbox. What’s driving it: • Wallet stuff: fees, property taxes, utility hikes, BMV nickel-and-diming. After I lost my wallet, dealing with that mess made me a lot less patient with bureaucratic shakedowns. • Healthcare: we’re on Medicaid, so I care who keeps docs in-network and who plays games with funding. If you can’t show me how your plan keeps my clinic open, I don’t care about your slogans. • Workforce and trades: community college funding, certification support, small shop regs. I changed careers midlife, so this is not theoretical for me. • Local control: sheriffs, prosecutors, city council. That’s potholes, speed cameras, zoning, and whether my neighbor can run a mower shop without jumping through flaming hoops. • Sick of culture-war chest thumping and performative threats. I want boring competence and clear
Charles Perez, 42, Unemployed Adult, Mobile, AL, USA:
More motivated than 2024, no question. The presidential felt baked here, but midterms hit my day-to-day. Top driver is healthcare - I’m uninsured, and paying cash at a clinic is not a plan, so I want folks who stop playing games with access and cost. Schools and libraries too - I’m over book bans and grandstanding; hire bus drivers, fix HVAC, let teachers teach. Storm prep and bills matter - insurance is brutal, flood stuff is messy, and we need a sane Bayway or bridge plan that doesn’t whack families with tolls. And honestly, watching money slosh around - from college jerseys to politics - makes me want boring, competent adults who focus on safety and budgets instead of culture wars.
Scott Astorga, 44, Sales Operations Manager, South Bend, IN, USA:
Short answer: more motivated than 2024. 2024 felt loud and performative; midterms feel closer to the stuff that actually hits my mailbox and my street. What’s pushing me: • Local nuts-and-bolts - council and courts that decide budgets, roads, school funding, and whether we get real inspectors or just press conferences. • Worker stuff - unions, wages, scheduling fairness. I want receipts, not slogans. • Utilities and insurance - rates, outages, surprise fees. It’s -6 C and I can feel every cent of bad policy. • Safety and accountability - seeing that gang case and then a crane disaster abroad just reinforces that real oversight matters more than chest-thumping. • Higher-ed priorities - watching the college football money circus while local classrooms scrape by is getting old. If someone shows they can fill potholes on time and stop playing budget chicken, they’ve got my vote. I’ll early vote like usual, in and out, then get on with my day.
About This Research
This study was conducted using Ditto synthetic voter research - 6 AI personas grounded in census data and behavioral research. Ditto's methodology has been validated by EY at 95% correlation with traditional polling. Results in minutes, not weeks.
Full study: View the complete research
