Find Internships at Project Vote Smart

The Project Vote Smart National Internship Program provides a unique lesson in the study of American politics. Students from across the nation and around the world come to our high tech research center in the Montana Rockies for ten weeks to help American citizens educate themselves about elected officials and candidates. By providing this information in an easy and accessible manner, Project Vote Smart believes that citizens can better defend themselves from the political hype and misrepresentation characteristic of present day political campaigns. Interns play a crucial role at Project Vote Smart and make up the vast majority of our staff. The individual talents, ideas and hard work of our interns have been instrumental in the success of many of our most important programs. Since the Project researches thousands of elected officials and candidates' backgrounds, the work is often tedious. However, if you are interested in making a genuine contribution to your Nation, in an idealistic and positive environment -- located in the middle of a natural wonderland -- we would love to have you join our team. There is plenty of room to learn and grow with the organization. Interns often return as staff members after they have finished their college careers. College students and recent graduates typically participate in our National Internship Program. Interns must commit to ten consecutive weeks, but may intern anytime during the year. We accept applications on a rolling basis and have no deadline, but interns are encouraged to submit their applications early because space does fill up quickly. Interns live on-site at the Project's Great Divide Ranch and scholarships pay for all living costs, including room and board.

ABOUT US: Founded by national leaders such as former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, Project Vote Smart researches the voting records, backgrounds, issue positions, campaign contributions, interest group ratings, and public statements of more than 40,000 candidates and elected officials. This information, as well as ballot measures and voter registration information is available at www.votesmart.org, the Voters Research Hotline (1-888-VOTE SMART), free publications (Voter's Self-Defense Manual), and through the new VoteEasy interactive application. Inaugurated in 1992, Project Vote Smart remains nonpartisan and nonprofit in mission and is funded entirely by foundation grants and individual contributions. STATUS: Unpaid Intern, Full-Time. Lodging, meals, and recreational opportunities provided free during internship. 40 hours per week 10 consecutive week commitment is required. REPORTS TO: Communications Coordinator POSITION SUMMARY: This internship will assist with the communications, media relations, social media, membership relations, & fundraising efforts of Project Vote Smart. Position ideal for recent graduates or current student with an interest and academic background in the areas of public relations, marketing, mass communications, english, journalism, and/or nonprofit management. SKILLS DESIRED: An open-mind and willingness to learn (acceptable in lieu of experience) Ability to learn programs and processes quickly Excellent interpersonal skills Knowledge of Microsoft Office programs Basic understanding of organizational structure of print & radio media Experience with Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and LinkedIn Those with photography, graphic design, HTML, and videography experience encouraged to apply A sincere interest in American politics (it wouldn't hurt to also like the outdoors too, considering our location)

Project Vote Smart's National Internship Program provides a unique lesson in the study of American politics. Students from across the nation and around the world come to our research center in the Montana Rockies for ten weeks to help American citizens educate themselves about elected officials and candidates. By providing this information in an easy and accessible manner, Project Vote Smart believes that citizens can better defend themselves from the political hype and misrepresentation characteristic of present day political campaigns. Interns play a crucial role at Project Vote Smart. The individual talents, ideas and hard work of our interns have been instrumental in the success of many of our most important programs. Since the Project researches thousands of elected officials and candidates' backgrounds, the work is often tedious. However, if you are interested in making a genuine contribution to your Nation, in an idealistic and positive environment -- located in the middle of a natural wonderland -- we would love to have you join our team. There is plenty of room to learn and grow with the organization. Interns often return as staff members after they have finished their college careers. College students and recent graduates typically participate in our National Internship Program. Interns must commit to ten consecutive weeks, but may intern anytime during the year. We accept applications on a rolling basis and have no deadline, however, we do encourage students to apply as soon as possible for our summer internships. Interns live on-site at the Project's Great Divide Ranch and scholarships pay for room and board. Project Vote Smart offers internship positions within each of its department (including Communications and Information Technology), with most interns allocated to the Research, Key Votes, and Political Courage Test Departments. The Internship Coordinator will make all position assignments based on an individual applicant's skills, departmental priority, and projects available.

Project Vote Smart, a national non-profit and non-partisan political research and voter education organization, is currently accepting applications for its Fall 2013 internship program located in Austin, Texas. The organization, founded by a politically diverse group of leaders including former presidents Carter and Ford, provides information to the public regarding all aspects of political candidates and elected government officials. By making this information freely available, Project Vote Smart aims to better prepare citizens to defend themselves from the political hype and misrepresentations that are characteristic of modern-day political campaigns. Interns in our Austin office, located at the University of Texas at Austins Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, will work primarily on our legislative research program, covering legislation and key votes from all fifty states and Congress. Daily tasks may include tracking local media sources and reports, compiling legislative voting records, summarizing and translating significant pieces of legislation into language the average voter can understand, and other duties as needed. Additionally, interns may be asked to help with our latest efforts to create meaningful relationships between our many disparate pieces of data. This effort will include categorizing our historical data as well as helping to find relationships and implementing new data visualizations. All interns perform substantive and meaningful work, and will never be asked to answer phones or make coffee. Interns gain familiarity reading and interpreting actual legislation, and acquire valuable experience for those considering law school or working in any policy-related field. Through their daily work, interns in our legislative research department are exposed to the important issues facing their state and the country, as well as the solutions being proposed by policymakers. We are more than happy to work with students' university departments in order to help them receive academic credit for their internship experience when possible.

National Internships are available year round at Project Vote Smarts Great Divide Ranch. Take an active role in politics and help defend citizens from the manipulative tactics of self-serving, issueless campaigns. Interns answer our Voters Research Hotline (1-888-VOTE-SMART), collect performance evaluations, research background information, perform legislative research, and administer our Political Courage Test. We also offer internships in an information technology position. Several other positions are available. Please visit our website http://www.votesmart.org/program_internships.php for a complete list. Interns receive room and board for the duration of their time at the Ranch.