In theory, ActBlue is not all that different from PayPal or any other online payment processing services.

"Even though the candidate committee would source its donations or would take donations directly, it's just really easy to pick up that tab and send some money via Act Blue," said Jacob Neiheisel, an associate political science professor at the University at Buffalo.

But this election cycle, the 14-year-old platform is being used by Democratic candidates at an exceedingly high clip. ActBlue recently passed $3 billion in so-called small dollar donations — roughly half of it raised since 2017.

"I think there's been a push for small dollar donors for a while. I think you could roughly pinpoint that to the Bernie Sanders campaign that made quite a bit about its average donation being quite small," Neiheisel said.

A recent study from FiveThirtyEight and the Center for Public Integrity found that 55 percent of all contributions from individual donors to Democratic congressional candidates have passed through the platform this election. Neiheisel said there are a variety of reasons for the trend, including the push toward small donations and the nationalization of politics. He said ActBlue, or something like it, is here to stay.

"Anytime one party finds a technological advantage, it's quickly going to be copied, to the extent that it's possible, by the other side and so this is clearly working for Democrats in this environment and so I would expect to see Republicans, the next time there's a red wave on the horizon, doing the exact same thing," he said.

In New York, virtually every Democratic candidate is broadly utilizing it, including upstarts like Nate McMurray, Tracy Mitrano, Dana Balter and Antonio Delgado.

"Sacrificial lambs who suddenly are thrust into a position where, hey we could win this," Neiheisel said.

However, he cautioned that while ActBlue has leveled the fundraising playing field between Democrats and Republicans who have often relied on superpac money, it doesn't necessarily indicate a blue wave.

"Money without the right kind of direction, really doesn't do a lot of good. It's also not a terribly good indicator, especially if it's coming outside the district, of voter enthusiasm," he said.

ActBlue Statement:

"ActBlue is a nonprofit online platform that makes it easy for people to give small-dollar donations to Democratic candidates, progressive organizations, and nonprofits who create giving pages using our platform. These entities share our links in fundraising emails, on their websites, and in social media posts. Small-dollar donors are able to chip in $5, $15, or any other amount they are able to with just one click on their smart phone or computer."
"Small-dollar donors have given over $3 billion since ActBlue's founding in 2004, and $1.5 billion of which has been raised since January 2017 alone. We're seeing incredible momentum from grassroots donors across the country that's only increasing the closer that we get to Election Day, and we're seeing candidates recognize the real power of small-dollar donors. Small-dollar donors have staked their place as key to any Democratic campaign in 2018 and beyond."