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Fall 2026 Volunteer Fellowship Program (Remote)

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Ballotpedia, the Encyclopedia of American Politics, is recruiting individuals passionate about expanding access to fact-based political information to join the Fall 2026 cohort of our Ballotpedia Fellows Program. As a trusted, nonpartisan online resource, Ballotpedia provides voters and readers with reliable information on elections, governance and public policy.

As a Ballotpedia Fellow, you will help expand our data-driven research on American politics. The Fall 2026 program will focus on conducting in-depth research on local candidates from across the country who will appear on the ballot in the 2026 elections.

The Fall 2026 Ballotpedia Fellows Program will run from Tuesday, Sept. 8, through Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. Fellows are asked to contribute 5-10 hours per week, completed on a flexible and independent schedule to accommodate school, extracurricular activities, or other commitments.

Ballotpedia can provide documentation for community service hours, course credit, or other verification upon request. Court-mandated hours cannot be counted. Fellows will need access to a computer or laptop and a reliable internet connection. Due to the competitive nature of this volunteer program, applicants must be U.S. citizens or visa holders and at least high school age.

Requirements

  • You are interested in politics and passionate about Ballotpedia’s mission to provide unbiased, factual information to voters.
  • You are a strong self-starter who thrives in an independent, remote environment.
  • You are curious about data and enjoy learning new skills, even if you are new to data research.
  • You enjoy research and discovering new information.
  • Most importantly, you believe every voter deserves access to reliable information at all levels of government.

Available Projects

Fellows may work on a variety of projects, including:

Local Candidate Research: Ballotpedia aims to cover every election in the country. As a Fellow, you will help build more complete local candidate profiles using the same research standards as full-time staff. Your work ensures that millions of voters have access to detailed information about the local candidates on their ballot. This includes gathering critical data points such as candidate endorsements, campaign themes, contact information, social media profiles and campaign websites.

Quality Assurance: Ballotpedia takes our commitment to quality and accuracy seriously. Fellows help verify and validate candidate information entered by other volunteers. Some Fellows may have the opportunity to review spreadsheets with candidate data to ensure information is accurate and up to date.

Application and Onboarding Timeline
Application deadline: Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, or until the program has reached capacity. If the application is live, we are still accepting applicants.
Application Review: Rolling responses through Sept. 1, 2026
Onboarding: Tuesday, Sept. 8 - Friday, Sept. 11, 2026

To Apply
Interested applicants should submit an application, resume and cover letter by selecting “Apply for this job” below and completing the form. This is an unpaid volunteer position. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and offers are sent via email. Program capacity is limited, and positions are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Applicants may not hear from Ballotpedia regarding the initial status of their application until late July. For questions about the program, contact the Volunteer Program Team at fellows@Ballotpedia.org.

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What this application asks

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First name, Last name, Email, Headline, Phone, Address, Education, Experience, Summary, Resume, Please attach your cover letter

  • During the 2026 - 2027 academic year, which status is most applicable to you? choose one
  • How did you hear about the Ballotpedia Fellows Program? choose one
  • The Ballotpedia Volunteer Fellowship is a fully remote program. Fellows will need reliable access to the internet and a computer to complete their work. Do you have reliable access to both? yes / no
  • This program requires participants to be U.S. citizens or holders of a valid U.S. visa. Do you meet this requirement? yes / no
  • Fellows are expected to contribute 5-10 volunteer hours each week during the eight-week program. Please indicate how many hours you would be able to contribute each week? choose one
  • The program is self-directed, with no set working hours. After completing a live onboarding session via Zoom, you will work independently through training materials and research assignments. Communication will take place in a shared Slack channel (a business messaging platform) and will be primarily asynchronous. Are you comfortable working in this environment? yes / no
  • What motivated you to apply for the Ballotpedia Fellows Program? written answer
  • Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Our goal is to inform people about politics by providing accurate and objective information about politics at all levels of the government. We are firmly committed to neutrality in our content. How do you feel about this mission? Would it excite you to contribute to an environment like this? If so, why? written answer
  • As a fellow, you will conduct in-depth research to improve the information available about local candidates online. How has your school or work experience prepared you to do this successfully? written answer
  • You will receive training to work with our proprietary database and shared Google Spreadsheets. Are you comfortable learning new software or programs? Please provide an example of a time you successfully learned a new tool or program. written answer
  • Is there anything else that you would like our team to know about you? written answer