Job Description

About the Race

In Pennsylvania, more than 600,000 students are enrolled in state colleges and universities - more than any other swing state. These young voters have the numbers and the power to determine the outcomes of our elections.

And while young Americans do believe they have the power to change the country, just 2 in 5 say they feel well-qualified to participate in politics.¹ Most young Americans do not believe they have been adequately prepared to understand the impact of their vote, or even how to cast it.² That uncertainty depresses turnout: in 2022, just under 1 in 4 young voters cast a ballot.³ Young people are not apathetic–we are failing to adequately prepare and engage them.

In 2024 Project 26 organized in-person across 56 campuses and maintained a tailored digital footprint at over 100 schools, engaging nearly 450 student fellows during the presidential election. Our fellow-led teams generated voter turnout of 78.45% in on-campus precincts, resulting in a 41.6% increase from 2020 and the highest campus turnout in recent history.

As we think about the organization’s focus in 2025, we are committed to furthering our mission to protect and expand democracy by elevating youth leadership on campuses across the state. Our goal is to empower college students to take control of their futures, get organized, and vote in future elections.

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1. 2022 Youth Survey, CIRCLE at Tufts University, 
2. 46th Biannual Harvard Youth Poll, Harvard Kennedy School, 
3. 2022 Youth Survey, CIRCLE at Tufts University, 

Position Overview:

• Compensation & Hours: The compensation for this role will start at $23.50 an hour and includes health benefits. This is a full-time role, with organizers working 40 hours a week.
• There may be points throughout the year where organizers are asked to work additional hours and/or weekends.
• Description: Campus Organizers will work on key campuses across Pennsylvania to build organizations and fellow-led teams that engage students, provide value to young people, and prepare systems for key races. This position will be based at one of Pennsylvania’s universities and requires significant in-person work.
• Location: Campus Organizers should expect the majority of their work to be done in person at their assigned campus(es).
• Start date: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
• Blackout Periods: Over the course of any given election cycle, our organization will go through several key mobilization periods–during these dates, we will have a staff “blackout” on PTO. This means that barring parental, bereavement, or another protected leave class, staff will not be able to take PTO during these times.
• 10 days before a General or Primary election
• 10 days before a Voter Registration Deadline
• The month of August
• To Apply: Please submit this short application. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

What Will You Do?

This is not a conventional organizing position. Instead of spending time in a field office making calls, a typical day will require being on campus in person talking to students, managing teams of fellows and volunteers, and fostering relationships with campus networks for long-term collaboration. You will be asked to get goofy, creative, and gritty-as-hell to build a startup that empowers young people for many elections to come.

Responsibilities Include:

Campus Programming (30%)

• Develop and execute a comprehensive campus program to engage students and mobilize young voters in the upcoming cycle.
• Contribute to shaping the overall strategic vision for the organization, including a narrative building & story collection campaign that amplifies young voices across Pennsylvania.
• Conduct direct voter contact and list-building through dorm-storming, high-traffic canvassing, relational organizing, and more.
• Organize and execute fun, interactive events to build our presence on campus and allow us to educate students about the upcoming elections and empower them to take action.
• Identify and address barriers to student civic engagement and voter turnout, sharing these insights with leadership/HQ.
• Lead weekly campus strategy sessions to discuss long-term and short-term goals, assign tasks, build ownership among fellows, and convert enthusiasm into actionable steps.

Hiring, Training, & Managing Teams (30%)

• Recruit, hire, and manage a team of paid fellows and volunteers who will mobilize their peers and create a movement on campus.
• Conduct training sessions to equip your team with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.
• Continually motivate and support your team, ensuring their engagement and development throughout the election cycle.

Build Relationships and Coalitions Across Campus (10%)

• Build relationships with key campus stakeholders, including administrators, student leaders, and student organizations, to collaboratively address needs and challenges for youth organizing.
• Teach fellows to build relationships within their networks to amplify efforts and expand civic engagement on campus.

Data Management & Entry (20%)

• Conduct quality control for voter registration forms
• Ensure the accurate and timely data entry for voter registration and other metrics.
• Manage daily data entry into systems such as America Votes and BLOCKS

Who Are You?

As a successful candidate for this job, you will:

• Have a passion for inspiring and empowering young people to get involved in the political process.
• Be excited to think outside the box and to ideate and innovate to find the most exciting and effective GOTV tactics.
• Be eager to talk to as many students as possible (and be comfortable talking to  a lot of  strangers/potential volunteers).
• Be scrappy and flexible; able to manage several tasks simultaneously.
• Be a self-starter, exceptionally well-organized, and have strong time management skills.
• Be committed to electing Democrats up and down the ballot.
• Have a driver's license and access to a reliable car.
• Be able to work weekends and irregular hours as required.
• Be located near or be willing to relocate to one of our focus campuses.
• Previous experience organizing for an electoral campaign is a plus; previous experience with campus organizing is a bigger plus. Neither are required.
• We will be hiring for this position in multiple cohorts, with the first group starting ASAP and additional hiring waves to follow. Students who will be graduating over the Spring and Summer of '25 are strongly encouraged to apply now!

We are an equal opportunity employer and we strongly encourage Black, indigenous, people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and others who identify with underrepresented groups to apply.

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