About The Democratic Party of Wisconsin

WisDems is nationally recognized as one of the country’s highest-performing and most pivotal political organizations. During the upcoming election cycle, WisDems will drive massive programs to hold Republicans accountable, elect progressive candidates up and down the ballot, and work to build volunteer-led coalitions for the long term. WisDems’ work is grounded in inclusion, respect, and empowerment across race, gender, other dimensions of identity, and the rural/suburban/urban divide. Our work continues year-round, collaborating with partners to build a movement that delivers meaningful change for all Wisconsinites. We seek outstanding applicants who share our values and vision to join the team, help win elections, and build a future where everyone can thrive.

The Opportunity: The Voter Protection Team is hiring associates for either the poll observer program or the hotline and ballot cure program.

As a Poll Observer Voter Protection Associate, you will be working in partnership with the Deputy Voter Protection Director in managing the Poll Observer Program, including recruiting and reactivating poll observers, as well as recruiting, training, and maintaining a strong volunteer corps to support the program throughout the election cycle.

As a Hotline and Ballot Cure Voter Protection Associate, you will work alongside the Deputy Voter Protection Director to ensure the Hotline and Ballot Cure Programs run smoothly. The Hotline Program focuses on staffing the WisDems Hotline with volunteers who answer calls about voting-related manners. You will be responsible for recruiting, engaging, and retaining those volunteers. The Ballot Cure Program works to “cure” absentee ballots that are at risk of rejection and not being counted.

You’re our person if:

• You are a community builder. You love talking to people and know how to turn a passive supporter into a highly engaged, fully trained volunteer. You build relationships that last the whole election cycle.
• You are relentlessly goal-oriented. You don't let obstacles stop you. Whether you need to fill 50 poll observer shifts or cure 100 ballots by a strict deadline, you find creative ways to get the work done.
• You thrive in the details. Voter Protection requires precision. You are comfortable managing large amounts of volunteer data in systems like VoteBuilder (VAN) and LBJ, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
• You are a patient coach. You can calmly guide a confused volunteer through a technical software setup or a complex set of election rules.

Job Responsibilities:

• Volunteer Mobilization: Recruit, train, and manage a robust network of volunteers to serve as poll observers, poll workers, hotline operators, and ballot cure callers.
• Field Execution: Implement grassroots tactics to hit programmatic goals, including managing phonebanks, hosting volunteer training, coordinating events, and conducting 1:1 meetings.
• Data Management: Track volunteer engagement, shift scheduling, and ballot cure progress meticulously using VoteBuilder/VAN and LBJ.
• Outreach & Engagement: Utilize diverse outreach methods—including phone calls, text banking, social media, and community networking—to reach new volunteers and keep the core team active.
• Leadership Development: Build long-term relationships with volunteers, empowering them to take on leadership roles (e.g., Boiler Room Captains or Staging Location Leads) in their own communities.
• Special Projects: Assist the Deputy Voter Protection Directors with strategic planning and ad-hoc projects as necessary.

Core Qualifications:

• Accountability & Solution-Oriented: You take full ownership of your actions and commitments, holding yourself to a high standard and seeing objectives through to completion. When challenges arise, you approach them with a problem-solving mindset, focusing on solutions rather than pointing fingers.
• Collaboration & Teamwork: You succeed by working as a team, stepping up to support teammates, and sharing knowledge freely. You actively break down silos by connecting across teams, inviting different perspectives, and staying open to new ideas to achieve shared goals.
• Growth & Adaptability: You are dedicated to continuous improvement and challenge yourself to learn and adapt. You proactively seek, offer, and act on feedback with openness and can anticipate potential obstacles to take proactive steps.
• Respect & Inclusion: You build strong relationships by treating everyone with kindness, dignity, and trust. You approach interactions assuming positive intent and have the courage to address difficult topics directly and honestly while showing care for others.
• Transparent Communication: You communicate openly and honestly to build trust and alignment. You are proactive in setting clear expectations, sharing the "why" behind decisions, and providing timely updates to ensure the right people have the information they need.

Qualifications (Required):

• Interpersonal Skills: Strong communication skills with the ability to comfortably recruit, coach, and motivate volunteers.
• Goal Orientation: Demonstrated ability to focus on and achieve ambitious, metric-driven goals.
• Cultural Competency: Ability to build authentic relationships and collaborate effectively with colleagues and volunteers across lines of difference.
• Adaptability: A growth mindset with the ability to work flexible, irregular hours (including some evenings and weekends) while maintaining a positive, energetic attitude.
• Mission-Driven: A strong desire to protect the right to vote and fight for Democratic values.

Qualifications (Preferred):

• Demonstrated ability to stand up large-scale volunteer organizations and hold volunteers accountable for their goals.
• Adept at using data to inform strategy and monitor progress, including familiarity with VAN/Votebuilder, LBJ, and Google Sheets/Excel.
• Understanding of the unique challenges of voter protection and election administration.
• Access to a reliable vehicle and willingness to travel frequently (conditions permitting).

Note: On-year requirements include working outside of normal work hours; including canvassing and other election-preparation as necessary.

Benefits: Great benefits including; excellent health care ($1/month), dental ($1/month), vision ($1/month), life insurance (free), short term and long-term disability (free), mileage reimbursement, monthly cell phone stipend, paid vacation days, retirement plan with employer match, floating holidays, paid holidays. 

Equity and Inclusion: The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has a vision for a deeply inclusive and diverse party organization, membership, and electorate. In order to be successful at the  Democratic Party of Wisconsin candidates must have the cultural competence to successfully  work with a diverse array of constituency groups. We especially strongly encourage applicants  with close ties to Black, Indigenous, AAPI, Latinx, Muslim, non-English-speaking, disability, and LGBTQIA+ communities. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity Employer.