Students interested in applying for the Democracy Fellows must do so by Friday, Jan. 31.
Beginning Feb. 3 and ending Nov. 23, the Democracy Fellows is a two-semester fellowship centered around voting and student civic engagement. Set up by the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement in partnership with Campus Vote Project, the program is entering its second year at ETSU. Campus Vote Project is a branch of the Fair Elections Center, a national, nonpartisan voting rights, legal support and election reform organization dedicated to helping students gain access to the ballot and increasing youth voter turnout.
Democracy Fellows helps students get registered to vote and educates them on election laws and what’s on the ballot. The program also aims to help ETSU increase voter engagement in the build-up to the 2020 presidential election. Applicants should be passionate about democratic engagement, politically interested and self-starters, and be prepared to commit 8-12 hours per week participating in the program’s activities.
Some of the activities the program will be running include the Voter Registration Drive on Jan. 27 through Jan. 28, a community panel on voting on Feb. 12 and a Census Day celebration on Apr. 1.
Not only will students involved participate in campus voting activities, they will also have the opportunity to travel to conferences, such as the Tennessee Campus Civic Summit on Feb. 21. These conferences will allow students to learn new skills, discuss issues and network with other students and organizations.
The position is paid and students will receive a stipend of $1,200, with $500 paid at the end of the spring semester and $700 at the end of the fall semester.
ETSU Votes Graduate Assistant Seth Manning is excited to start the year, especially with both the census and presidential elections falling in the same year, which only happens every 20 years.
“To be able to interact with students and really make sure that we enable them to make their voices heard is pivotal,” said Manning. “Then add to that our ability to host several Democracy Fellows, and it just gives me a sense of excitement about the semester and year to come.”
Students interested in applying should apply online and any questions should be emailed to etsuvotes@etsu.edu.
