Welcome to Field Office, the newsletter that serves as the election desk from Headquarters.
On National Voter Registration Day, there’s nothing more fitting than bringing you the news that will save our democracy.
I’m Markus Batchelor, the National Political Director at People For the American Way. I’ve spent much of my career in and around elections.
I started my career as an organizer and elected official in Washington, D.C., learning what politics looks like from the other side of the ballot — knocking doors, talking with neighbors, and building coalitions; Iearning about the seemingly small decisions made in local elections that can have enormous consequences.
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to take that work to a national level. As National Political Director, I work across our elections and political programs, including our endorsements and electoral work, helping connect the organization’s longstanding work on democracy and political power to the races happening across the country.
Over the past year, I’ve also gotten a much closer look at something else: how quickly the political conversation moves online.
That’s a big part of why, on National Voter Registration Day, I’m so excited to introduce Field Office, Headquarters’ new weekly newsletter to help voters learn a little bit more about candidates across the country.
Here, we’ll go deeper into the elections, people, and places shaping the political landscape.
We’ll bring you election news, analysis, explainers, field notes, and practical information for voters. We’ll look beyond the daily political churn to understand what is happening in particular states and communities — and why it matters.
Why “Field Office”?
Politics doesn’t just happen in Washington.
It happens in states and congressional districts. In county election offices and statehouses. At candidate events and community meetings. In conversations between neighbors. And, ultimately, at the ballot box.
Headquarters has become a place to follow the broader political moment — particularly for people who increasingly experience politics through their feeds. Headquarters was created as a digital media ecosystem designed to meet people where they are and connect political information with opportunities for civic participation.
Field Office is the next layer of that work.
On a campaign, the field office is where the work gets done. It’s where organizers meet voters, volunteers come together, and campaigns get a closer look at the communities they’re trying to reach.
That’s the idea behind Field Office.
This is where we’ll get beyond the daily political frenzy and get closer to the people, places, and races shaping the 2026 elections and beyond.
And I’m particularly excited to lead it.
I’ve spent years thinking about elections from different vantage points — as a Washingtonian and former elected official, as someone who has worked with and around candidates and campaigns, and now as People For’s National Political Director working on elections and political engagement nationally. People For already has an active 2026 elections and endorsements program across states around the country.
Field Office gives me — and the broader Headquarters team — another way to bring that experience into the conversation.
Not just from Headquarters.
From the field.
So consider this our first dispatch.
The 2026 midterms are underway.
The Field Office is open.
I’ll see you out there.
— Markus
Markus Batchelor is National Political Director at People For the American Way and leads the Field Office project within the Headquarters ecosystem. He previously served as an elected member and Vice President of the D.C. State Board of Education and is an alumnus of People For’s Young Elected Officials Network.
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