Students, Administrators, Faculty, and Election Officials Working Together to Overcome Barriers to Student Voting

2025 Democracy Fellow Position Description

The Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project is seeking students in the following states who are passionate about democratic engagement, politically interested and are self-starters to help peers register and vote and engage them in dialogue around democracy and voting rights legislation through a one-year fellowship, with exceptions made for Spring 2025 graduating seniors: 

  • Alabama (HBCU)
  • Arizona
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Louisiana (HBCU)
  • Maryland (HBCU)
  • Michigan
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Texas
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin

 

Campus Vote Project is dedicated to helping students gain access to the ballot and increasing youth voter turnout. Fellows are an integral part of carrying out voter engagement and empowerment at institutions of higher education across the country. 

As a fellow, you will have the opportunity to work with administrative and faculty partners. You will work with the on-campus team to complete the four planning steps of the Students Learn Students Vote checklist, created to build power and ensure success. You will also be responsible for meeting deadlines and carrying out nonpartisan voter engagement activities on your campus for an average of 10 hours per week. The Spring Fellowship will run from January 21st to May 9th. The Fall Fellowship will run from August to December of 2025.

  • Responsibilities and Goals each semester: 
    • Participate in supporting a voter engagement plan on your campus, including meeting planning deadlines and being an active spokesperson.
    • Carry out voter registration and voter education activities on campus. This includes:
      • Informing your peers about registration and election deadlines
      • Providing nonpartisan information about issues and candidates on the ballot
      • Engaging students as voters and voter advocates for their peers
    • Complete timesheets and check-ins with campus partners and with CVP staff regarding voter engagement efforts.
      • Fellows will be required to do one-on-one check-ins with their CVP state coordinator, small group check-ins with their campus sponsor/administrator and CVP state coordinator, and state-wide check-ins with other Democracy Fellows and CVP state coordinator. Each takes place monthly and are at a maximum one hour long.
    • Participate in leadership, skill-building, and historical-context discussion blocks, optional trainings, and webinars. 
      • New Fellows will be required to attend a two hour orientation and returning Fellows will be required to complete an asynchronous orientation refresher which reviews requirements of being a Democracy Fellow, current voting rights issues and legislation, and equitable and inclusive campus organizing.
      • Attend an Additional Civic Education (ACE) virtual event that will explore the intersections of voting rights history and current topics.
      • Attend an Election Law training specific to your state.
      • Attend two of the three one-hour Discussion Blocks, which review topics surrounding grassroots organizing and voting rights issues.
      • Submit an evaluation survey of your work and the program.
      • Attend a one hour-long end-of-semester reflection meeting.
      • In addition to these requirements, there are a number of optional training opportunities available to Fellows.
      • Contribute to Campus Vote Project’s social media and respond to media inquiries looking for student perspectives.
    • Learn from professionals in the civic engagement space through a series of monthly panels.
    • Opportunity to in-person statewide events where you learn new skills, discuss issues, and network with other students and organizations passionate about youth voter engagement.

CVP is proud to support the program by conducting regular check-ins with fellows and administrator and faculty partners. CVP also produces student voting guides, voting information posters, and draft email, social media, and website content that can be used by fellows during the program.

  • Compensation:  
    • New Fellows will receive a $1,600 stipend in two installments ($700 at the end of their first semester in the spring and $900 at the end of the fall semester). Fellows receive a stipend of $900 every subsequent semester served as a Fellow.
    • Returning Fellows will receive a $1,800 stipend in two installments ($900 at the end of each semester).
    • Fellows should be prepared to spend 10 hours per week on the program during the spring and fall semesters.

For more information, reach out to fellows@fairelectionscenter.org.