Intern Opportunities
How to Apply for an Internship with the Party
The Alabama Democratic Party is fortunate to have youth on our side, and we encourage young people across the state to get involved in whatever way they are able to help make our state a better place to live, work, and get an education. That might lead you to entry-level work for a political party or candidate you strongly believe in, or it could direct you to an internship position in the office of an elected official. This kind of experience is always the best way to get your foot in the door for future jobs, and establish yourself as a passionate Democrat in Alabama.
A wide range of opportunities exist for dedicated young adults to get valuable experience in the political arena. Below we’ve listed some of the areas in which we are enlisting interns. If you’d like to get involved with us, you should email us here with your contact information, Alma Mater, and what area below you think would best fit your area of expertise. You will want to work with your professor or department to arrange for an internship with the state party. Upon their approval we can move forward into getting you on board. If your professor or department would like to speak with someone on our staff, you can find and print that information here.
Communications/Research: Intern will work directly with the Communications Director in providing accurate and up-to-date information for on-line newsletters, the web site, various press releases, and special communications projects. A Communications intern will work in many media mediums and have extensive hands-on-experience. This position requires synthesizing skills, the ability to create concise summaries, maintaining chronological and issue files of important press coverage, oral and written communications skills, above average computer skills and working to produce coherent and influential messages. Research will involve working extensively with voting records, press statements, video files and other sources to gather information pertaining to potential candidates and their opponents. The information will be gathered and analyzed resulting in a summary document to the Communications Director. Intern will also assist in maintaining and updating materials. Work done by the intern constitutes the fuel for advertising campaigns. Students of journalism, English, advertising, public relations, communications and political science are ideal for this position.
Field/Constituent Relations: Intern will work with the Executive Director, Political Director, Field Directors and others to maintain and strengthen relations with county chairmen, county parties, activists, key groups, caucuses and elected officials. Interns will follow up on information and requests to insure priorities and needs are addressed and met. Intern will assist with all aspects of events and special projects. In addition, an intern may serve as the Alabama Democratic Party liaison to the Young Democrats of Alabama and will be responsible for recruiting and establishing Young Democratic chapters on all two and four year in-state colleges. These individuals will report to the Executive Director. Students of political science, public relations, and communications are ideal for this position.
Political Fundraising/Finance: Intern will work directly with the Finance Director planning fundraising events and projects, maintaining databases and fundraising call lists, and working with others to achieve fundraising goals. It will involve educating candidates and their staff of the importance of fundraising and compliance, and will teach them reporting procedures and fundraising techniques. This position is extremely beneficial to students who wish to pursue careers in campaigns and politics in general. Students of finance, accounting, pre-law and political science are best qualified for these positions.
Political Technology: Intern will help update and monitor the party web page. Intern will also work with political technology to learn the “Voter File” system, which shows the voting history of various groupings of people and is crucial to candidates, active county parties and other groups. Intern will become familiar with this system, then teach it or provide technical support to candidates, their staff and any affiliated groups as needed in order to help them find their target audiences and plan their strategies. Intern may also help with networking dilemmas. One should be familiar with Windows, Microsoft Access and have basic networking knowledge. Intern will also learn the Democratic Party’s in house database. This position is ideal for students looking for positions with campaigns and provides a highly needed skill and the ability to teach it to others. Students of computer science, political science, graphic arts or who possess superior computer talents are ideal for this position.
