When thinking about what education you’ll need, it is important to consider the skills and expertise that will help you. Here is a list of skills you should expect to see in a job description as well as a list of educational opportunities at the University of Iowa and beyond that would help you to develop the skills needed for a career in voting rights, engagement, and policy.

Majors, Minors, Certificates, and Classes:

• Ethics and Public Policy - emphasizes the study of reasoning and prepares students to bring a sophisticated, cross-disciplinary perspective to diverse fields such as business, government, urban and regional planning, social work, and law.
• Political Science- course options: Introduction to American Politics, Introduction to Political Thought and Action, Careers in Political Science and International Relations, American State Politics, American Constitutional Law and Politics, Fixing America’s Electoral System, Local Politics, American Public Policy, Bureaucratic Politics, and Public Administration
• Social Justice - course options: Public Policy and Persuasion, Working for Social Justice
• Human Rights - course options: Introduction to Human Rights, History of Human Rights, Human Rights Advocacy, Philosophy of Human Rights, Contemporary Global Issues in Human Rights
• Leadership Studies - course options: Perspectives on Leadership: Principles and Practices, Career Leadership Academy, Diversity and Power in the U.S., Leadership Theory to Practice, Ethics in Human Relations and Counseling, Interpersonal Communication
• Critical Cultural Competence - course options: Foundations of Critical Cultural Competence, Integrative Seminar in Critical Cultural Competence

There’s a massive range of education and experience that could be useful to someone pursuing a career in voting/election-related work. These are just some majors, minors, and certificates that specifically align themselves with this field.

Graduate and Professional Programs to Consider

• Democracy and the Rule of Law Clinic at Harvard Law School
  • Opportunity to participate in an externship with Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit founded by former White House and Department of Justice attorneys and dedicated to preventing our democracy from declining into a more authoritarian form of government.
• Civil Rights Appellate Clinic at Penn State Law
  • The Civil Rights Appellate Clinic provides intensive training in appellate advocacy by involving students in noncriminal civil rights cases before the state appellate courts, federal courts of appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Students conduct research, draft briefs, assist in case selection, develop substantive legal positions, and plan appellate strategies.
• International Human Rights Law Clinic at Berkeley Law
  • The International Human Rights Law Clinic (IHRLC) designs and implements innovative human rights projects to advance the struggle for justice on behalf of individuals and marginalized communities through advocacy, research, and policy development.
• Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies Certificate at the University of Iowa
  • This program offers the opportunity to enhance one’s area of study with perspectives in the interdisciplinary field of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. This program includes the theoretical and methodological study of issues surrounding questions of gender and sexuality, using these as a grounding for the coursework they will pursue within their degree program.
• Political Science Graduate Program at the University of Iowa
  • This program offers comprehensive study in American politics, comparative politics, international relations, formal theory, and research methods. Each of these fields of study will provide training in a variety of methodological and theoretical approaches, and provide opportunities for individualized programs of learning.
• Communications Studies Graduate Program at the University of Iowa
  • Communication Studies has the mission of providing a high level of education and national and international leadership in research and knowledge dissemination in communication theory. At the graduate level, the Department focuses on the study of communication as a social practice.

• Get involved in student organizations, local organizations, or national organizations that focus on voting rights
• Take government, political science, or social justice classes
• Look for internships either locally, virtually, or during the summer that work with voting advocacy
• Student Organizations
  • University Democrats - Involved in voter education and mobilization, planning events
  • Hawk the Vote - Bipartisan student org focused on voter registration and voting information with the specific goal of increasing the University of Iowa’s voting turnout
• Organizations with Internships to consider
  • Forwardjustice.org Forward justice is a nonpartisan law, policy, and strategy center dedicated to advancing racial, social, and economic justice in the U.S. South.
  • www.aclu.org The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
  • www.fairvote.org FairVote is the national driving force behind advancing ranked choice voting (RCV) and proportional RCV in legislative districts to give voters more choices, fairer representation, and better government.
  • Southerncoalition.org The Southern Coalition for Social Justice partners with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the South to defend and advance their political, social, and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing, and communications.
  • www.citizen.org Public Citizen defends democracy, resists corporate power, and works to ensure that the government works for the people – not for big corporations. They don’t participate in partisan political activities or endorse any candidates for elected office.
  • Civilrights.org The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 230 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States.

• • League of Women Voters Information on careers and internships. Interns will get to work in the following: grassroots membership outreach, elections and voter information, communications and development.
  • APIAVOTE Internship Program Strives to encourage and cultivate young AAPI student leaders to explore a career in the public sector or the political arena (includes summer internships, as well as fall and winter).
  • The Center for Voting and Democracy Year-round internship program. Types of internships include research, advocacy and communications, legal, development, and applicants with special skills.

Career Paths

Voting Engagement Careers Qualifications

• On most job listings they require or specifically look for previous volunteer/paid work for campaigns (local and grassroots campaign work is commonly listed)
• There’s a large range of useful majors depending on the job; many use/require skills like communications, English, business, or marketing
• Speaking multiple languages is a very useful skill, particularly in voter registration, education, and mobilization jobs/community organizers (I’ve seen many Spanish speaker requests as well as some Native American and South Asian language requests)

Voting engagement careers are typically centered in political organizations. These include a large range of jobs, including entry-level and executive positions. Door-knockers, campaign organizers, media strategists, event coordinators, and executive board members are just some of the positions you can find in a political organization. Here are some organizations to look into joining or volunteering for to get started in the field.

Voter Engagement Organizations:

• When We All Vote: “Facts for voters to follow the correct guideline + ensures Black, Brown, and young voters are given what they need to know to fight suppression. Also includes volunteer opportunities and other important info sessions on upcoming events.”
• National Association of Social Workers: “Focuses on increasing voter participation + works in collaboration and partnership with national voter mobilization organizations” (all listed on site).
• NASW - “National organization aimed at recognizing college campuses for partaking in student voter engagement initiatives + voting resources and steps on becoming a voting ambassador and/or volunteer.”
• U.S. Democrats - “The largest progressive organization in the U.S., their platform supports expanded voter rights and has many opportunities for involvement.”
• Iowa Democrats - “The largest progressive organization in the state, their platform supports expanded voter rights and has many opportunities for involvement at a local and federal level.”

Voting Rights Organizations:

• American Civil Rights Union (ACLU): “Works to protect and expand Americans’ rights to vote.”
• Voting Rights Alliance: “Non-partisan network organizations, activists,  and legislators coming together to restore and protect concerted attacks.”
• League of Women Voters: “Non-partisan grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights + advocacy, education, and litigation at local, state, and national levels.”

While there’s a broad range of political organizations focused on voter rights and engagement, the partisan organizations we chose to include lean progressive. We believe this is the most honest way for us to advocate for voter rights.

Career Paths - Policy/Government

• Lawyer: a person who practices law, as an advocate, attorney at law, etc. the list of law goes on forever
• Justice: Presides over court proceedings in a higher court such as state supreme courts. They ensure that judgment is passed over cases brought to the court of law. The Justice hears evidence of cases brought before him, instructs juries, and makes the final rulings regarding the case.
• Lobbying: Professional advocates that work to influence political decisions on behalf of individuals and organizations. This advocacy could lead to the proposal of new legislation, or the amendment of existing laws and regulations.
• Policy Analysis: Identify current or impending problems, create solutions, and evaluate other proposed solutions.
• Politician (at any level): A person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by extension its people. Broadly speaking, a politician can be anyone who seeks to achieve political power in a government.

Because the work of establishing equal voting rights is more specialized than that of voter engagement and expands beyond work in organizations, we chose to include specific positions and careers in addition to the organizations listed before this section.

• Getting a job
  • General Skills:
    • Public policy expertise
    • Advocate for racial and social justice
    • Management experience
    • Interpersonal, active listening, and communication skills
    • High level of independence, initiative, creativity, and good judgment

• We can’t recommend the University of Iowa’s Pomerantz Career Center enough! Here are some important pages to look into:
  • Resumes and Cover Letters Information
  • Guide to Informational Interviews
  • Interview Advice
  • Job Search Checklist
  • Internship Information
• Job Search Sites
  • LinkedIn.com
  • Indeed.com
  • Handshake (University career site!)
• Useful Social Justice Information
  • https://careercompass.princeton.edu/career-fields/advocacy-and-activism
  • https://work.chron.com/qualifications-political-strategists-23250.html
  • https://www.humanrightscareers.com/magazine/how-to-become-a-human-rights-activist/