Voting Rights Strategist

American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee

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Job Summary

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee (ACLU-TN) seeks a dynamic and strategic voting rights strategist.  The voting rights strategist will play a key role in implementing a multi-faceted “Vote Like Your Rights Depend on It” campaign to increase access to the ballot box, expand use of the absentee ballot, and challenge voter suppression tactics during the 2020 elections. 

The voting rights strategist will focus on a range of issues including researching and analyzing voting trends in Tennessee, preparing and providing “know you rights” workshops, engaging local election commissions, and ensuring fair and open 2020 elections throughout Tennessee, especially within those precincts that include majority Black and Brown communities. The voting rights strategist will report to the policy director. This position is funded through March 2021 and may be extended pending additional funding.

About the ACLU of Tennessee
ACLU-TN, the state affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union, is a private, non-profit, non-partisan public interest organization dedicated to defending and advancing civil liberties and civil rights through advocacy, coalition-building, legal, legislative, community mobilization, and public education initiatives. Our mission is to translate the promises of the Bill of Rights into reality for all Tennesseans. ACLU-TN has been on the front lines of many struggles for civil liberties and civil rights. As we move into a new era and face dangerous government policies and practices, we remain dedicated to confronting these issues and defending the progress we have made.

ACLU has been a leader in moving freedom forward in Tennessee for over 9 decades. In 1925, when John Scopes was arrested for teaching evolution in a Dayton, Tennessee public school classroom, ACLU cooperating attorney Clarence Darrow defended him. In the era of segregation, ACLU spoke out for racial justice and the right to assemble, including representing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the sanitation workers strike and challenging police surveillance in Memphis. Today, we are in court fighting to ensure that all Tennessee voters can use mail-in ballots to cast their votes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, we continue to successfully pursue cutting edge initiatives on a range of issues, including criminal legal reform, fair treatment of immigrants and refugees, LGBTQ equality, religious freedom, freedom of speech, education equity, and reproductive justice.

Job Responsibilities

• Implement advocacy and awareness strategies to increase awareness about Tennesseans’ right to use absentee ballots during the August and November 2020 elections;
• Organize public education efforts, phone-banks and other outreach activities for ACLU-TN’s “Vote Like Your Rights Depend on It” campaign;
• Establish and cultivate collaborative relationships with a broad range of stakeholders;
• Review election data and research voting trends in selected areas in the state;
• Support community stakeholders, grassroots organizations, student groups, and impacted communities in their work to mobilize voters to cast their vote either using absentee ballots or at the polls;
• Coordinate digital and direct mail campaigns to elevate awareness about use of absentee ballots;
• Monitor election practices and voter suppression issues statewide; and
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the policy director or the executive director.

Qualifications

• Commitment to increasing access to the ballot box and challenging voter suppression tactics;
• A familiarity with the mission and work of the ACLU;
• Experience in political and/or issue campaigns;
• Exceptional analytical, research, writing and oral advocacy skills;
• Ability to articulate complex issues and to communicate them tactfully and effectively to a variety of audiences;
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain allies and work collaboratively, and a personal approach that values and respects differences of race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability and socioeconomic circumstances;
• Ability to listen, guide and support people to achieve common goals;
• Keen attention to detail; ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects at various stages of completion; good problem-solving skills and a positive, professional attitude with sound judgment, flexibility, determination and good humor in a fast-paced, sometimes high-pressure virtual and physical office space;
• Ambitious, creative, and results-oriented initiative and a desire to learn, pitch-in and anticipate new projects;
• Ability to collaborate, including working closely with ACLU-TN colleagues;
• An absolute commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards; and
• Willingness to work beyond 9 to 5 and some weekends and to travel throughout Tennessee as needed.

Additional Information

Benefits

How to Apply

Application Procedure and Deadline: Please email PDFs of your letter of interest, resume, professional writing sample no longer than five pages, and three professional references to jobs@aclu-tn.org with the subject “voting right strategist.” Please state in your letter of interest how you learned of this position. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will be accepted until the position is filled, at which time the posting will be removed from the ACLU-TN/ACLU websites.

The ACLU-TN is an equal opportunity employer and values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or record of arrest or conviction.

Details

• Date Posted: June 18, 2020
• Type: Full-Time
• Job Function: Analytics / Evaluation
• Service Area: Other
• Working Hours: M-F 9-5, 40 hrs/wk