Editorial or Communications Spring 2024 Internship Program (Paid/Remote)

Intern Testimonials

“Ballotpedia's internship is a phenomenal way to get hands-on experience in learning more about American politics. The team is flexible and very supportive, open to hearing suggestions for new processes and implementing them. Team leads go above and beyond to answer questions, and are attentive to making the internship a better experience. While it's 100% remote, Ballotpedia does a great job making you feel like you're part of something bigger. The team is always looking to improve, and it shows. Would highly recommend!”— Nicholas Callaghan, Fall 2023 Editorial Intern

"Before joining the Ballotpedia internship program, I was under the impression I would only be working on editorial aspects of news articles. However, the work I do is far more than what I expected. I feel like I am part of every team that needs my assistance and viewpoints to ensure the quality of our work. Overall, it gave me a sense of being ready for anything and wanting to produce while learning new skill sets." — Colin Han, Spring-Summer 2023 Editorial Intern

"Interning with Ballotpedia was a wonderful experience. I was guided and taught throughout various projects while also allowed to be creative and explore my own ideas and projects. I have learned not only about American politics, but meaningful ways to reach and educate people. It was an invaluable experience with great mentorship!" — Abigail Campbell, 2020 Communications Intern and current Communications Associate

"Interns at Ballotpedia have the rare opportunity to be engaged in politics in a fascinating behind-the-scenes way, working to build the Encyclopedia of American Politics— breaking news and documenting history— while maintaining complete neutrality. At BP, you'll gain experience with a multitude of tasks to prepare you for any avenue you decide to take in the crazy, fun world of politics and news." — Jackie Mitchell, 2018 Spring Intern and current Ballotpedia Staff Writer

"Participating in the editorial internship program was an exceptional learning experience that prepared me for my current role as a staff writer. Through the internship, I received extensive training on preventing bias, learned how to code the website, and worked on challenging projects, all with the support of helpful and encouraging Ballotpedia staff." — Janie Valentine, 2019 Spring Intern and current Marquee Team Lead

Program Description

As an intern, you will go through a similar onboarding experience to full-time Ballotpedia employees. You will learn how to code the Ballotpedia website, be oriented to Ballotpedia’s style guide, learn about what we do to prevent and detect bias in our resources, and much more. Following orientation, you will join either the Communications, Editorial, External Relations or Tech teams, working alongside full-time staff members.

As a Ballotpedia Editorial intern, you may:

• be embedded in one of our Editorial teams (i.e. Ballots, Elections, Marquee or News, Quality Assurance) and work directly with Editorial staff members;
• work on articles on candidates and elections;
• write about Federal, State, or Local elections, depending upon your assignment;
• assist our teams in news tracking and monitoring;
• research candidate stances and biographies;
• research election results and input them into our database;
• research race expenditures;
• research race endorsements;
• process candidate surveys;
• conduct research projects to improve overall data quality
• participate in brainstorming sessions with experienced staff members; and
• write and research on other topics as assigned.

As a Ballotpedia Communications intern, you may:

• assist with Ballotpedia’s social media including creating posts and graphics;
• assist with Ballotpedia’s various email products, from daily and weekly newsletters to special campaigns;
• respond to communications from a variety of external sources;
• assist in coordinating and completing webinars, briefings, or similar group events; and
• collect a variety of data points, tracking subscribers, engagement, and more
• help develop compelling presentations, infographics and reports
• monitor and report on media mentions
• participate in special research projects
• participate in promotional planning and activities

Ballotpedia’s Tech and External Relations Departments also offer internship opportunities. You can find more information on how to become a Tech or External Relations intern on our Job Opportunities page.

Ballotpedia’s Spring 2024 internship runs from Monday, January 8, 2024 to Friday, May 3, 2024. Ballotpedia’s spring internship is a part-time internship program; interns will work approximately 10-20 hours per week depending on their availability.

Ballotpedia is happy to facilitate credit for your internship experience if that is available to you. If you will be seeking credit for your internship, and if there is anything that Ballotpedia will need to do to assist you, please include that information in the same file as your cover letter.

Environment

Ballotpedia interns will work remotely, as all Ballotpedia staff work remotely. To join Ballotpedia, you must have a well-functioning computer with Internet access. Ballotpedia uses Google Applications (Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive and more) to accomplish our goals. Some familiarity with Google Applications is helpful.

Compensation

Interns will be compensated at $15.00 per hour.

Please note: If the minimum wage in your area is more than $15.00 per hour, you will be compensated in accordance with your area’s minimum wage.

To Apply

To apply, click on “Apply for this job” below and fill out the form.

Please provide the following in PDF format:

• résumé
• cover letter which states your area of preference (Editorial or Communications), including the contact information for two professional references
• neutral writing sample (under five pages)
  Note: please include this in the same file as your cover letter

Please ensure that either your resume or your cover letter include your current address. Applications that do not include a current address will not be accepted.