Are you passionate about ensuring that every American voter has access to nonpartisan, fact-based information about every candidate on the ballot? Our Ballotpedia Volunteer Program aims to solve the ballot information problem by expanding the information we have on local candidates.
In 2024, our volunteer program found 38,658 critical data points on local candidates nationwide!
It can be difficult to find information about candidates on your ballot, especially at the local level. This lack of information is what we call the ballot information problem. Ballotpedia currently provides neutral, nonpartisan election information about elections at the federal level, state level, and local level for the 100 largest cities in the country.
Mayor, city council, and district attorneys in all 50 state capitals
School boards for the 200 largest school districts
All state and territorial ballot measures, as well as some local ballot measures
All state, local, and territorial recall elections
Ballotpedia is also in the process of expanding election coverage to include even more local ballot races state by state.
Ballotpedia plans to eventually cover all 585,000 elected officials in the country, and we need YOUR help getting there! In 2024, we project that around 50,000 elections will be covered, 40,000 of which are ultra-local elections.
Ballotpedia volunteers research assigned local candidates on our database. You will be looking for important pieces of contact information, including candidate emails and campaign websites.
These data points are used to populate candidate profiles on ballotpeida.org. We also use found email addresses to reach out to candidates, requesting that they complete our Candidate Connection Survey
(Click to learn more)
- This volunteer position is designed to work entirely with your schedule and level of commitment. Complete all of the training at your own pace, then pass our quiz with 11/11 to receive your database credentials.
- With no structured time commitment, you can volunteer as often as you’d like.
- Community Researchers are looking for two data points on candidates: candidate emails and campaign websites.
- This volunteer position is part of a service-oriented program specifically designed for high school, college, and lifelong learners who would like to participate in a more structured opportunity.
- This eight-week program occurs every spring, summer, and fall. Applications must be submitted to be accepted into the program, and we are always looking to expand our reach!
- With the ability to structure your research and schedule to fit your unique needs, this asynchronous program requests that fellows research a minimum of 5-10 hours per week throughout the eight weeks.
- Fellows receive training to research over 15 data points on local candidates, including emails, websites, social media profiles, and more.
- This higher-level volunteer position is designed to allow current Community Researchers and Fellows the opportunity to expand their volunteerism with Ballotpedia.
- While still using your expertise for local candidate research on over 15 data points, you will have the opportunity to help with quality assurance, volunteer program support, and special projects!
- We request that Trusted Researchers complete a minimum of 5-10 hours of volunteer service each month.
- To learn more about this volunteer opportunity, please check out the Trusted Researcher Volunteer Position Description
- If you are a current volunteer interested in becoming a Trusted Researcher, please complete the Trusted Research Interest Form.
- The Student Researcher program at Ballotpedia offers students valuable political candidate research experience that teachers and professors can easily implement into their curriculum.
- Teachers and professors set the minimum research requirements for their class, and then students complete around 30 minutes of self-led training to research assigned local candidates on the Ballotpedia Database.
- This hands-on experience allows students to make a first-hand impact in expanding local candidate information available to millions of voters nationwide.
- For more information about this program, please check out the Student Researcher Program Overview.
- If you are a professor or teacher interested in participating in this program, please complete the Student Researcher Interest Form to get started.
“Ballotpedia's Fellows Program is a great way to gain exposure to all the parts of a political campaign and different levels of government, all while working at your own pace and within a community of like-minded scholars. It is a great experience and one I recommend to anyone interested in politics!”
-Jake Temkin, Spring 2024 Fellow
“I truly felt as though my research was making meaningful contributions to an organization that I admire. The Ballotpedia Fellows Program is an amazing opportunity to make an impact and provide voters with accessible information.”
-Sarah Schrag, Trusted Researcher
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Ballotpedia and am grateful for being given not only the opportunity to contribute to democracy by expanding access to election and candidate information to help inform voters, but also to deepen my own knowledge of upcoming elections and candidates that are running for public or state office. It truly was a beneficial and flexible experience that allowed me to stay informed and help close the information gap among U.S. voters.”
-Rose Kores, Spring 2024 Fellow