Legislative Intern

Semester: Fall (September-December)

Status: Part-time Temporary (20-25 hours per week)
Reports to: Legislative Manager

Stipend: $17/hour

Location: Washington, DC Required

ORGANIZATION

Issue One is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization that unites Republicans, Democrats, and independents to win game-changing federal reforms to fix our broken political system and create an inclusive democracy that works for everyone. Issue One educates the public and Congress to pass legislation to increase transparency, strengthen government ethics and accountability, reduce the influence of big money in politics, protect the freedom to vote, and strengthen U.S. elections.

Issue One is helping lead the fight to protect U.S. elections and election workers in 2022, ensure a peaceful transfer of power in 2025, and win comprehensive reforms to combat disinformation on technology platforms. Issue One built the National Council on Election Integrity and led its $15 million Count Every Vote campaign to defend the integrity of the 2020 elections and push back against attempts to undermine faith in our democratic process.

POSITION

Issue One seeks a fall intern interested in strengthening American democracy and assisting our high-performing legislative team. We would like to hire an intern who can think strategically as well as be versatile and open-minded, like the rest of our staff.

Our interns are integral members of Issue One. We are a small but growing office where you will gain hands-on experience in bipartisan outreach and advocacy, communications and messaging tactics, legislative affairs, working with current and former elected officials, and much more. We also work closely with other reform organizations and will give you an expansive look at the important work being done nationwide to rebuild American democracy.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist the legislative team and relevant consultants as needed in research, administration, and logistics in mobilizing Issue One’s ReFormers Caucus — the largest bipartisan group of former elected officials committed to fixing the political dysfunction — and Issue One’s National Council on Election Integrity;

• Support our Legislative team by attending and summarizing meetings and events, scheduling, conducting legislative research, and helping to complete policy memos
• Perform high-quality research and writing to support Issue One’s blog posts and other communications products;
• Research and write blog posts that center on important legislative issues;
• Support IO’s efforts to modernize Congress through research, writing, and policy analysis;
• Update and maintain legislative databases and trackers;
• Other tasks as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

• Demonstrated interest in democracy, American politics, and political advocacy
• Self-starter who can see projects through to completion
• Commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable political system
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Positive attitude and willingness to try new things
• Demonstrated ability to generate ideas and adapt to new projects
• Strong organizational abilities and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently, as well as with a team

LOCATION

Interns must reside in the Washington DC area and join us on-site for a hybrid schedule, including being in our office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Issue One will work around class schedules.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

This intern will work between 20-25 hours per week. The exact start and end dates have some flexibility, though ideally, the internship would start on or about Monday, September 11, 2023, and continue until about Friday, December 15, 2023.

Issue One offers compensation through a stipend of $17/hour.

Tentative Recruitment Timeline

• July 26-Aug 8: Resumes accepted for consideration of internship
• August 9-10: Resume screening and interviews scheduled w/ selected candidates
• August 14-16: Internship interviews and potential assessment
• August 18: Offer made to the preferred candidate

Special Note: While Issue One will do its best to follow the above timeline, there are instances where the selection process is delayed due to circumstances beyond our control. The organization will do its best to update all selected candidates on any changes to the timeline. In addition, while resumes may be submitted after August 8, there’s no guarantee they will be screened for a potential interview.

How to Apply

Interested applicants can apply by clicking "apply for this job" in the top right corner of this page. Please include how you heard about the position and complete the self-identification questionnaire.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Due to the volume of applications, we will

unfortunately not be able to contact every applicant on the status of their candidacy personally. No phone calls, please.

Issue One is committed to the principles of equal employment. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities and all other employment laws and regulations. We intend to maintain a work environment that is free of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation because of age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation (including transgender status, gender identity or expression), pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), reproductive health decisions, marital status, personal appearance, matriculation, political affiliation, credit information, employment status, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), veteran status, uniformed servicemember status, status as a victim or family member of a victim of domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking, homeless status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws. The Company is dedicated to the fulfillment of this policy in regard to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, transfer, training, promotion, rates of pay, fringe benefits, and other compensation, the application of disability and/or temporary disability policies, termination, and all other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment.