This week's Democracy Notes
Welcome back!
Very glad to see that 82% of you liked the new job transitions section! You can submit your job news here.
It’s almost DNC week! Lots of nonpartisan, pro-democracy organizations are hosting events in Chicago next week, and there’s been lots of chatter about those events (and potentially a meetup) on the Slack.
FairVote’s new CEO Meredith Sumpter won gold in the Democracy Notes olympics this week — she was the first guest contributor to Democracy Takes! Check out her great piece on how ranked-choice voting fixes the spoiler problem posed by RFK Jr.
(P.S. short edition this week because I’m out on vacation, we’ll be back in full next week.)
Democracy Notes 8/15
What to read:
(The big news)
Princeton University's Bridging Divides Initiative partnered with the The Elections Group to create a set of de-escalation resources to support election workers ahead of the election, including:
A 30-minute self-paced course,
Info on orgs that provide in-person and virtual de-escalation training from BDI's state-by-state De-Escalation Directory, and
A webinar on de-escalation resources and principles. August 29 at noon ET.
Great coverage in the Washington Post of The After Party, an organization “crafting a new evangelical, civic identity that isn’t tied to a political party, candidate or policy, but is much more about values like humility and hope.”
What to watch/listen to/attend:
(Events, podcasts, and more)
Donor summit on Democracy Through a Feminist Lens December 4-6 in Santa Fe.
We added a bunch of events to the (editable!) events spreadsheet. Feel free to add if we missed something!
(And lots of webinar-type events pop up on the Slack.)
Where to work:
(Jobs, jobs, jobs!)
Common Cause Executive Director, Georgia — Atlanta, $110K-$130K
iCivics Senior Director, Marketing — remote, $140K
Campaign Legal Center Social Media Marketing Manager — DC, $84K-$113K
Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE) President/CEO — remote, $200K (+ bonus)
Student Turnout Projects Program Associate — DC, $55K
Foundation for the Social Connection Fellow — remote (and/or DC), no $ info
Bridging Divides Initiative Internship Coordinator — remote, no $ info
Kettering Foundation Podcast Producer — Ohio, $60K-$70K
Movements Strategy Center Project & Partnership Steward — Oakland (remote possible), $67K-$80K
Transitions, transitions:
(Where are the movers moving and the shakers shaking?)
Alex Ikezawa is the new Director of Strategy at the National Trust for Local News (a job he found via Democracy Notes!). He was previously a Consultant at Bain & Company.
Sarah Wagner joins the Democratic National Committee as a Program Manager for Civic Engagement and Voter Protection. Previously, she was the Chief Community Engagement Officer and Deputy Clerk for the City of Huntington Woods, MI.
Note: While we don’t usually include partisan political jobs or transitions, we included this one because the role covers voter protection and civic engagement.
Alexandria J. Maloney is the Kettering Foundation’s new Director of External Affairs!
Submit your job transitions here!
As always, thanks so much for your attention.
Take care,
Gabe