National Conference of State Legislatures, Elections Intern, Summer 2022
Description of agency and internship overview:
NCSL’s mission is to advance the effectiveness, independence and integrity of legislatures and to foster interstate cooperation and facilitate the exchange of information among legislatures. NCSL also represents legislatures in dealing with the federal government, especially in support of state sovereignty and state flexibility and protection from unfunded federal mandates and unwarranted federal preemption. In addition, NCSL is committed to improving the operations and management of state legislatures, and the effectiveness of legislators and legislative staff.
2022 is slated to be a big year for ballot measures, after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many ballot measure campaigns in 2020. Therefore, this intern's primary responsibility will be to track the 2022 ballot measures, which includes tracking the qualification status of ballot measures across the states and territories, writing regular blogs on various ballot measure topics (like gambling measures or marijuana measures), writing a comprehensive ballot measures preview, and assisting with internal and external presentations on 2022's ballot measures. Beyond this specific project, the intern will engage as needed on projects relating to redistricting, campaign finance, and elections. NCSL would like to reserve time for the intern to identify projects they might develop.
- Use state and national resources to track all statewide ballot measures, including their qualification status, media attention, and basic information on campaign expenditures
- Connect with subject-area experts to learn about specific ballot measures and popular policy issues for ballot measures
- Write two to three blog posts about ballot measures on specific topics, such as gambling, marijuana, taxes, etc., and write one longer piece for State Legislatures News, in collaboration with supervisor, previewing the 130+ statewide ballot measures for the November 2022 general election
- Assist the other members of NCSL’s elections team with information requests from legislators or legislative staff, on a wide breadth of issues
- Use legal databases and state laws to research various election issues
Eligibility:
Bill Lane Center internships are part of Cardinal Quarter opportunities and we encourage students from all disciplines to apply to our opportunities. The opportunities are full-time (35-40 hours a week) for 10-weeks during the summer. Specific start and end dates can be coordinated directly with the supervisor.
Rising juniors or seniors are preferred, but we are open to all class years who may be interested in this opportunity. All majors are encouraged to apply, especially those in the humanities or social sciences.
Note: Students are only eligible for one Stanford-funded full-time experiential learning opportunity during the 2021-22 academic year (inclusive of summer).
For more helpful application advice, please visit the BLC’s FAQs page.
Required Skills:
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Strong writing skills
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Interest in elections
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Willingness to engage in face-to-face communication (virtual or in-person)
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Ability to collaborate, including effective oral and written communication
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Good organizational and task management skills
Desired Skills:
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Experience in politics or the non-profit sector
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Strong ability to juggle multiple short- and long-term tasks
Selection of applicants:
Complete applications are screened and finalists are contacted for an interview with staff from the Bill Lane Center for the American West. The top candidates for each position are forwarded to the agency for direct interviews with their potential supervisors and other agency staff. Host agencies will then notify the Lane Center of their preferred candidate and that applicant will receive an internship offer by email. The applicant is expected to respond promptly (within 48 hours) via email to the offer, or the offer will be rescinded. Once an applicant accepts an offer, the student should promptly notify all other Stanford and non-Stanford programs to which they have applied that they have accepted another offer and to withdraw their candidacy.
