Vote Smart Intern Scholarship

Vote Smart is one of the world’s leading sources of non-partisan political information and is hosted on Drake University's campus. Founded in 1992 by Presidents Ford and Carter, and 38 other national leaders of the major political parties, Vote Smart a nonprofit, nonpartisan, voter-education organization dedicated to providing free, factual, unbiased information on candidates and elected officials to all.

Vote Smart interns complete the same research as staff members and are given real responsibility. Covering races in all 50 states and at the federal level, they may be assigned to one of the following programs, or may work on special projects in several programs, as needed. Interns receive training on Vote Smart's database, investigate special requests made by media and the general public, maintain and update data as needed, and conduct research in the following programs: 

• Election Monitoring and collection of political resources, such as Ballot Measures and Voter Registration information
• Biographical information and Issue Positions for candidates and elected officials
• Legislative Research, to include writing and editing state and Congressional Key Vote summaries, as well as entering and checking vote breakdowns for selected votes
• Evaluations and Ratings by Special Interest Groups
• Public Statements made by members of Congress

Vote Smart Interns will:

• Gain valuable experience in nonpartisan research
• Build primary and secondary research skills critical to working in a data-driven political era
• Strengthen writing and communication skills, especially those related to interpersonal organizational communication
• For Remote Interns: Gain impressive remote experience in a growing remote economy
• Apply and expand your learning about the American political system

Requirements

Vote Smart's Internship Program provides students with unique practical and educational experiences and has accepted interns from many different fields of study. They seek interns who possess strong research skills and who are genuinely interested in working to accomplish their goal of making factual, unbiased political information easily and freely accessible to all. The overriding qualification for securing an internship position is your willingness to commit 100% to Vote Smart’s goals and mission of informing the American Public without bias.

• Be able to set aside political beliefs and be objective and nonpartisan while working
• Demonstrate strong research and writing skills
• Have strong attention to details
• Have experience working independently
• For Remote interns: Access to a personal computer that is Windows 7.0+, macOS 10.11+, or Chrome OS 64.0+
• Commit to a minimum of 130 hours

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Scholarship Details

First-time students who are offered a Vote Smart Internship through Drake University may receive a $1,000 one-time scholarship for the semester of their internship. For more information, contact the Office of Admission.

Check with your Internship Coordinator BEFORE accepting your internship to determine if this fits the requirements of an academic internship. If you have any questions or would like to receive additional information, please contact your Internship Coordinator. Vote Smart is an equal opportunity employer. Please read Vote Smart's Equal Opportunities Policy for more details.

All scholarships require full-time enrollment (minimum of 12 credit hours per semester) and satisfactory academic progress. Individual scholarships may have additional eligibility or application requirements. 

Undergraduate scholarships are available only to students enrolled at the undergraduate level, for up to 4 years total or until a Bachelor's degree is earned (whichever comes first). Students entering one of Drake's joint undergraduate/graduate degree paths should refer to Program-Specific Policies to understand which years are designated as undergraduate-level for billing and financial aid purposes. Scholarships will renew automatically if all renewal requirements are satisfied.