The Common Cause Democracy fellowship aims to address the voter suppression that young people of color experience by working with Minority Serving Institutions and the communities around those campuses. This academic year we are hosting HBCU Democracy fellows in North Carolina and Maryland.
All applicants must attend a Texas college or university or a Maryland or North Carolina HBCU.
Fall Semester:
In the fall semester, Democracy Fellows will focus on increasing student turnout by:
- creatively communicating with peers about the importance of students voting and having a voice in decisions affecting their everyday lives, their futures, and our HBCUs.
- disseminating information about the voting processes (voter registration, requesting absentee ballots, accessing polling locations, voting early, etc).
- connecting with students on issue areas of student interest and Common Cause policy platforms;
- attending community events to learn about early voting, election protocol, and what will be expected during the general election.
- recruiting volunteers for GOTV roles (phonebankers bankers, canvassers, poll monitors, etc.)
- Participate in all GOTV activities (phonebanks, canvasses, poll monitoring, voter registration drives, board of election engagement, etc.)
Spring Semester:
In the spring semester, Democracy Fellows will focus on building relationships and educating their peers on ways to influence change by:
- hosting events and discussion on topics that highlight the importance of civic engagement beyond voting.
- Participate in state advocacy days
- disseminate information on bills that will have a direct impact on students
- Write a blog or OpEd on a topic of interest.
This is a ten hour minimum per week commitment for the semester with the opportunity to continue for up to two additional semesters. Selected Democracy Fellows will receive $1000 per semester divided into monthly payments..
Opportunities
- Build relationships with student leaders on your campus, in your state, and across the country;
- Participate in leadership and organizing trainings to prepare you for future work in politics, law, advocacy, public relations, and more;
- Develop a mentoring relationship with Common Cause’s staff and connections to Common Cause’s community of partners.
Responsibilities
- Recruit and cultivate volunteers
- Manage and participate in voter registration and community outreach
- Track contacts and enter information into data form
- Participate in statewide and national Democracy Fellow trainings and learning events (beginning of each semester, monthly conference calls, and etc.)
- Attend weekly or biweekly meetings with Common Cause staff and other campus Democracy Fellows to coordinate activities
- Establish and maintain relationships with community and campus partners
- Support and advance the Common Cause Student Action Alliance’s mission
- Increase Common Cause Student Action Alliance’s social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
- Disseminate information about the voting processes by making class announcements, organizing residence hall dialogues, tabling, and attending partner events
- Work closely with Common Cause staff to develop individual goals that are in alignment with student’s strengths and interests.
An ideal candidate will
- Demonstrate leadership qualities
- Engage peers and surrounding community in the electoral process
- Have strong written and verbal skills
Contact us by email at youthprograms@commoncause.org if you have any questions. Complete application here.