Vote Smart Internship Program
Vote Smart Internship Program
Vote Smart is one of the world’s leading sources of non-partisan political information and is hosted on Drake University's campus. Founded in 1992 by Presidents Ford and Carter, and 38 other national leaders of the major political parties, Vote Smart a nonprofit, nonpartisan, voter-education organization dedicated to providing free, factual, unbiased information on candidates and elected officials to all.
Vote Smart interns complete the same research as staff members and are given real responsibility. Covering races in all 50 states and at the federal level, they may be assigned to one of the following programs, or may work on special projects in several programs, as needed. Interns receive training on Vote Smart's database, investigate special requests made by media and the general public, maintain and update data as needed, and conduct research in the following programs:
- Election Monitoring and collection of political resources, such as Ballot Measures and Voter Registration information
- Biographical information and Issue Positions for candidates and elected officials
- Legislative Research, to include writing and editing state and Congressional Key Vote summaries, as well as entering and checking vote breakdowns for selected votes
- Evaluations and Ratings by Special Interest Groups
- Public Statements made by members of Congress
Vote Smart Interns will:
- Gain valuable experience in nonpartisan research
- Build primary and secondary research skills critical to working in a data-driven political era
- Strengthen writing and communication skills, especially those related to interpersonal organizational communication
- For Remote Interns: Gain impressive remote experience in a growing remote economy
- Apply and expand your learning about the American political system
Requirements
Vote Smart's Internship Program provides students with unique practical and educational experiences and has accepted interns from many different fields of study. They seek interns who possess strong research skills and who are genuinely interested in working to accomplish their goal of making factual, unbiased political information easily and freely accessible to all. The overriding qualification for securing an internship position is your willingness to commit 100% to Vote Smart’s goals and mission of informing the American Public without bias.
- Be able to set aside political beliefs and be objective and nonpartisan while working
- Demonstrate strong research and writing skills
- Have strong attention to details
- Have experience working independently
- For Remote interns: Access to a personal computer that is Windows 7.0+, macOS 10.11+, or Chrome OS 64.0+
- Commit to a minimum of 130 hours
Check with the Internship Coordinator BEFORE accepting your internship to determine if this fits the requirements of an academic internship. For more information about internship opportunities or alternate application submission options please visit the Internship FAQ page or contact the Internship Coordinator. If you have any questions or would like to receive additional information, please contact the Internship Coordinator. Vote Smart is an equal opportunity employer. Please read Vote Smart's Equal Opportunities Policy for more details.
