Action ID, Multi-Factor Authentication - MFA, & VAN Login (txdem.co/mfa or txdem.co/actionid)
Summary of how to use your ActionID, and how to set up MFA
What do I need to troubleshoot Action ID & MFA? 1
Current Action ID Users - Confirm you have MFA 1
If you have Action ID, how to check if you have MFA set up 1
I can’t log into Action ID, because.... 4
How do I get to/download my backup codes? 5
I forgot my password for my Action ID - what do I do? 5
Do I need to re-authenticate with two-factor every time I log into a new site? 5
I heard the authenticator app is more secure than texting - how do I switch over? 5
Do my volunteer accounts need to turn on MFA? 6
I don’t have a smart phone - what do I do? 6
I don’t have a cell phone - what do I do? 6
Setting up Action ID
If you have a VAN Account Name, but not Action ID - or if you have an existing Action ID that needs to be linked to an account
Speak with someone who can administer your account at your county party or campaign.
If you are the admin of your county party or campaign’s VAN committee, fill out the VAN Help form at txdem.co/VAN-Help
Once you have confirmed that they created a VAN account for you and sent an Action ID invitation to your email, please visit txdem.co/accepting-actionid
Important note—if you try to set up an Action ID and it says that one already exists for that email, then click on “Don’t remember your password?” on the Action ID login to get a password reset—this is because you have actually set up an Action ID with your email before, at some point in the past.
Setting up your Action ID should prompt you to set-up your MFA. If not, please follow these next set of instructions “How to Set Up MFA if you find that it is not Set Up”.
To log into VAN from here, you may need to go to texasvan.com & click on login with Action ID.
How to set up MFA if you find that it is not set up / VAN is telling you to add extra security for Action ID when trying to login
Go to accounts.ngpvan.com and login with your ActionID (email) and password
When enabling it, you will have the option of either using an authentication app (recommended), such as Google Authenticator. We strongly recommend using an authenticator app because this is the most secure method -- since your SMS/Text can still be hacked and you only have a limited amount of backup codes to use.
Download Google Authenticator on your Tablet or Smartphone by going to Google Play (Android) or the App Store (iPhone)—Google Authenticator is an example of a free one, but there are others.
Another way to set up MFA is using your phone number to receive a one time use code via SMS.
Follow the on screen prompts to complete verifying your ability to provide a one time use code.
Once you are done setting up your authenticator app or phone number for two-factor authentication, you will also have the option to view your backup codes in case you ever need to log in and you are unable to use either an SMS message or an authenticator app. Store these backup codes in a secure place (like a password manager).
Passwords.google.com & LastPass.com are examples of free password managers—but there are others
Whenever you are logging in from a new device, you will be prompted for a code, and also given the option to “Trust” the device for 30 days and the browser you are using. If you choose to "trust," you will no longer have to complete Two-Step verification from that device and browser combination for 30 days. If you do not “trust” the device, you will be required to verify the device and browser each time you login from it. Select “Enable two-step verification,” and the process is complete.
Other FAQs
What is MFA?
Multi-Factor authentication is an additional security measure that helps make sure your login process is as secure as possible. This is becoming an increasingly common security measure on many websites and applications, particularly where sensitive information is stored.
Types of MFA
Authenticator App (Most Secure and Recommended)
Most Authenticators should work, but we specifically tested the following:
Google Authenticator
Microsoft Authenticator
LastPass
Authy.com (This one is recommended if you are rural and don’t have a good connection to wifi because you can download it on your desktop and use it without internet. instructions here)
SMS/Text to Primary Phone & SMS/Text to Backup Phone
Backup Codes
I can’t log into Action ID, because....
I don’t have access to my ActionID’s primary phone
This will only happen if you do not have an authenticator app set up, or a back up phone set up, or, a saved and secure list of Backup Codes.
An admin cannot change the phone number associated with your ActionID due to security reasons, since this defeats the purpose of two-factor authentication.
Instead you can try to regain access to the old phone number or log into accounts.ngpvan.com on a computer that you’ve previously marked as trusted and change the phone number associated with the ActionID
If that doesn’t work you can submit a help ticket at txdem.co/van-help and we can change the email associated with your account
I don’t have access to any of the MFA options that I already set up, or my MFA code is not coming/working — or I am not receiving a password reset
If you think that the ActionID is set up with the correct phone number but the code isn’t coming in a text message, you will need to create a new ActionID at accounts.ngpvan.com (you may need to log out of your old Action ID there)
As for creating a new Action ID, you cannot use the exact email that you had your Action ID with before since you are locked out of that Action ID and there can only be one Action ID per “exact” email
So, you need to create a new Action ID with a separate email OR your current email with a +_____@
For example: if your email is countyparty@gmail.com, you will still get emails to your same email if you make an email of countyparty+van@gmail.com, countyparty+actionid@gmail.com, or countyparty+data@gmail.com. Adding a plus symbol and letters before the @ symbol makes the system think this is a new email, but you still get emails to that email. Then create an ActionID with this +_____@ email you have at accounts.ngpvan.com and set it up with MFA.
Or, if you only have one email or want to create a new one, you can quickly create a new one at gmail.com, protonmail.com; mail.yahoo.com, then create an action id with another email you have at accounts.ngpvan.com and set it up with MFA
Once you have a new Action ID,
Either an administrator (such as the VAN Admin for your County Party/Campaign; or anyone with a VAN user profile above yours; or the state party if you are the committee admin txdem.co/VAN-Help) will need to unlink any VAN accounts linked to your old ActionID email so the user may link these accounts to their newly-created ActionID.
VAN Admins: you can do this by going to Users, clicking on your user’s User Profile, clicking the dropdown of more info, and selecting Unlink Action ID then send your user a new Action ID invite.
Or if you are trying to link your Action ID to a new/old user account that doesn’t have an Action ID linked, then you can use the invite link you received by email (as long as it hasn’t expired (48 Hours)
How do I get to/download my backup codes?
Go to accounts.ngpvan.com, log in using your ActionID. Once logged in, click “Edit Profile” near the bottom.
Find “Backup Codes” and click “View”. You will then have the option to download or print them. We recommend you to do both so that way you will always be able to access them.
Keep in mind that each code can only be used once, so do not abuse them by using them as your MFA on a regular basis.
I forgot my password for my Action ID - what do I do?
Click “Don’t remember your password?” on the Action ID login screen after you click on Login with Action ID on texasvan.com to start the password reset process. DO NOT RESET YOUR PASSWORD FOR YOUR ACCOUNT NAME. As stated at the beginning of this document, no user has been able to login with an account name since 9/5/18. So, resetting the account name’s password is pointless.
Do I need to re-authenticate with two-factor every time I log into a new site?
If you select "Remember this device for 30 days," when you log into Action ID, then no. This will remember the device for 30 days. If you login from another device, however, you will have to re-authenticate.
I heard the authenticator app is more secure than texting - how do I switch over?
If you already log into VAN with ActionID and have MFA set up, we recommend that you set up MFA with an authenticator app rather than just stay with your SMS/Text Primary Phone Code since this can still be hacked.
Please set up your MFA with an Authenticator App by going to accounts.ngpvan.com and log into ActionID. Click “Manage My ActionID Profile,” and under “Authenticator App,” click “Add Application.” This will take you through the workflow to enable an authenticator app.
A recommended authenticator app is Google Authenticator
Download Google Authenticator on your Tablet or Smart Phone by going to Google Play (Android) or the App Store (iPhone)—Google Authenticator is an example of a free one, but there are others
Do my volunteer accounts need to turn on MFA?
If by Volunteer Accounts you mean Texas (7), no. Texas (6) and up are impacted. Check out txdem.co/TDP-User-Profiles for a listing of all User Profiles, also known as permission sets.
I don’t have a smart phone - what do I do?
You don’t need a smartphone for MFA - you can set up by receiving texts on any regular phone
Alternatively if you have a tablet that is connected to the internet you could use the authenticator app there
I don’t have a cell phone - what do I do?
If you have a tablet you can set-up the authenticator app there and/or backup codes. Otherwise, we recommend using Authy.com because you can download it to your desktop and use it without the internet.