Voter Protection Deputy Director

[Elisha]

Job Description: Voter Protection Deputy Director
Reports to: Voter Protection Director
Salary: $60,000-$80,000 plus generous benefits package
Start date: As Soon As Possible
Application Deadline: 03/13/2020 (Applications are considered on a rolling basis. Deadlines may be shortened or extended as necessary. There is no guarantee this posting will remain open until the deadline or be closed on the deadline. This is suggested timeframe based on organization needs.)

About the Democratic Party of Wisconsin: For the next four years, Wisconsin state politics will carry an almost unprecedented intensity and level of historical significance. Wisconsin faces a pivotal local and state Supreme Court race in the spring of 2020, will be a – maybe THE – critical swing state in the 2020 presidential election. The 2020 state legislative elections will also shape redistricting in 2021, which will determine the state’s political future for a decade to come. In 2022, the state will hold deeply competitive and consequential statewide elections, including for Governor and US Senator.

For the sake of the state’s future – and the nation’s – the Democratic Party of Wisconsin seeks an intelligent, personable, organized, self-starting individual to join our team.

The Opportunity: We seek a talented Voter Protection Deputy Director to ensure that all eligible Wisconsinites are able to cast their ballot. Our right to vote is fundamental to all that we hope to accomplish.  Working hand in hand with the Voter Protection Director, the Deputy Director will help develop, implement, and manage a robust, year-round voter protection program, ensuring free and fair elections in Wisconsin. This position will be based in Madison.

A strong candidate for this position will think creatively, not only about how to only protect the right to vote, but also about how to expand access to make it easier for people to exercise their right to participate in our democracy. 

Job Responsibilities:

• Support the Voter Protection Director to expand access and defend against incursions to the franchise at the state, local, and municipal level
• Research and develop proactive strategies to expand access to the franchise, including voter registration, ballot access, and ballot counting processes. Strategies will include legislation, executive action, and public campaigns, among others.
• Collect and document information on local voting practices, including polling locations, early voting sites, and vote by mail rules.
• Lead the execution of voter education, outreach, and intervention programs, both ongoing and specific to each election cycle
• Assist the Voter Protection Director in managing a robust poll observer program, including training volunteers, precinct prioritization and assignment, reporting mechanisms, and issue resolution processes.
• Support the Voter Protection Boiler Room on Election Day, making sure that voters’ issues are thoroughly documented, resolved where possible, and escalated and aggregated where appropriate.
• Assist in managing the Voter Protection Hotline program in volunteer training, operations, reporting, and issue resolution. Monitor calls to the hotline to identify trends and proactively resolve issues.
• Cultivate strong relationships with county and local officials to advance proactive improvements to voting, respond to threats, and resolve issues for individual voters.
• Recruit, train, and manage volunteer attorneys to serve as County Liaisons, who work with you, will maintain strong relationships with county elections officials in their counties. Support regular communications with Liaisons, ensure accurate and timely reporting, and effective issue resolution.
• Administer LBJ, VAN/Votebuilder, Google Forms and other database tools to track issues, volunteers, and voters.
• Ensure that all volunteers and staff are properly utilizing databases and that their reports are timely, accurate, and escalated appropriately.
• Develop regular review processes to monitor reports, ensure all voter issues have been resolved, and aggregate and escalate trends.
• Prepare for potential litigation and serve as legal resource for team
• Support Director in their work to prepare for potential litigation, including ensuring that county liaisons are ready to participate in election day litigation.
• Execute a test provisional ballot chase program, ensuring it is ready to be enacted if necessary.
• Assist with questions relating to voter suppression, intimidation, or efforts aimed at disenfranchising voters of Wisconsin.

Qualifications (Required):

We are seeking someone who, at their core, is fueled by the satisfaction of fighting for justice. You should be an organizer or political operative, eager to build an army of people who together will create meaningful change. You do not need to be an attorney. Additionally, you should be or have:

• A strong, data-driven organizer and/or political operative: Demonstrated ability to stand up large-scale, diverse volunteer organizations that effectively deliver results by motivating and holding volunteers accountable for their goals. Adept at using data to inform strategy development, monitor progress to goal, and report on and analyze outcomes, including familiarity with VAN/Votebuilder, LBJ, Excel, and other tools.
• Superb project management skills: Demonstrated excellence in developing and leading the execution of multiple, complex projects simultaneously. Able to spot issues ahead of time, creatively resolve them, and keep the team on track to meet its goals. 
• Self-starter who is highly skilled at managing up. ​The ideal candidate knows how to leverage limited manager or leader time to get the information needed to move decisions, and the work, forward.
• Strong lens and judgement on issues of race and equity.  Able to build relationships and collaborate with colleagues, voters, and volunteers who identify as POCI, and across lines of difference.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively to volunteers, internal staff, and external stakeholders.
• Commitment to Democratic values and electing Democrats in Wisconsin.

Qualifications (Preferred)

• A strategically-minded attorney: Possesses strong legal analysis skills and experience the law to advance the goals of your client. Creative problem-solver who sees the opportunity for novel interpretations and challenges to existing, as well as interest and ability to propose new regulations.

To Apply: Please click on the link above and be prepared to submit a resume including your three most recent employers; cover letter addressing what you bring to this position, and the DPW; and at least three professional references. (References are not contacted until you’ve had a successful interview, and are notified)

Benefits: Great benefits including; health care, dental, life insurance, short term and long-term disability, cell phone stipend, mileage reimbursement, generous annual vacation time, sick days, and holiday time off.

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 in this role, the candidate must have the cultural competence to successfully work with a diverse group of constituency groups. We especially strongly encourage applicants with close ties to Black, Latinx, Muslim, non-English-speaking, disability, and LGBTQ communities. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

https://wisdems.org/get-involved/join-our-team/careers/voter-protection-deputy-director/