The Student PIRGs’ New Voters Project is the nation’s largest non-partisan, on the ground student voter mobilization effort. For over almost 40 years the New Voters Project has played a leading role in mobilizing young voters; highlighting their importance; developing and refining the techniques and technology used to reach them; and ensuring their right to cast a ballot once they appear at the polls. We believe the best way to get political leaders to pay attention to young people and our issues is to register and vote. Since 1984 we have helped register more than 1.7 million young people and make over one million reminder contacts.
Just a few years ago, everyone had nearly written off the youth vote. Politicians focused their ads, speeches and campaigns around targeting older voters. Even the issues they were talking about had little to do with us - things like social security and prescription drugs. It's hardly surprising when you looked at the numbers. People over the age of 60 were voting at twice the rate of young people and the percentage of people under the age of 25 turning out to vote had declined steadily for decades.
The last few years have reversed this trend - the youth vote has increased and politicians have begun to pay more attention to young voters - but we've got to keep up the hard work to turn this trend into a lasting pattern.
To make sure that as many of those likely to register students have that opportunity, one of our top priorities is getting as many high profile websites to have links to the StudentVote.org registration tool as possible. By getting those links on most of the high profile websites (school’s main page, page to purchase sports tickets, page to register for classes, manage campus accounts, etc), you can get 2% of the campus to register. By then publicizing the StudentVote.org tool through Facebook, Twitter, listserves and posters/flyers all over campus, you can get an additional 2% of the campus to register to vote—all without even picking up a clipboard! At the University of Southern California we helped to register over 1,000 students when the university president sent out campus-wide email with a link to StudentVote.org. At Rutgers University we partnered with the Eagleton Institute to link to the tool on the campus’ main websites and registered over 3,000 students in a week.
Intern Responsibilities
- Maintain all the reporting requirements: attend weekly planning calls with team, submit tracking and planning forms
- Work with key administrators, Student Governments and Faculty to bring online voter registration to their campus
- Develop social media campaigns
- Develop publications and materials for online voter registration
- Plan campaign events throughout the summer
Qualifications
We are looking for students who are:
- Passionate about social change and the problems tackled by the Campaign
- Self-starters, driven to accomplish projects, and able to problem solve
- Professional, responsible, and dependable
- Able to work at least 15 hours per week
- Interested in future opportunities and careers in the non-profit sector
To apply send your resume and cover letter to Marites Velasquez, Program Director, at marites@studentpirgs.org
