Student intern needed for voting project

We are looking for a student intern to apply what they have learned about social media, public engagement, and audience-building for a vitally important civic project. The ENC Elections Initiative will provide information about candidates for elected offices in Pitt County in November 2025 on its website, www.Voter411ENC.org, starting in September. This will be the seventh election in which the website has provided candidate information, which is not provided comprehensively anywhere else in Pitt County. As a result, few people vote in local elections, which creates a profound challenge to democracy.

The problem with any website, of course, is that if people don’t know it exists, they will never look for it. Because we have zero funds for marketing or advertising, a solid campaign of social media is especially important.

The professor who runs the Initiative, Dr. Cindy Elmore, is seeking social media marketing, audience engagement, and a significant audience reach by a well-organized, self-starting student. The desired social media audience includes voters and potential voters of all ages in Pitt County. The selected student is also welcome to come up with and carry out other ideas beyond social media to bring traffic to the website. This is a real opportunity for a student who wants to have a project of their own, with real results, to show to a future employer.

The internship, which will be overseen by Dr. Elmore, includes the following requirements:

• Post creative and accurate social media several times a week on multiple platforms that are directed to the voting age population in Pitt County – particularly those who are not otherwise motivated to vote in local elections. These can be about individual races, about the website in general, about the importance of voting in local elections, and more.
• Reach out to candidates, election committees, county political parties, local civic organizations, student organizations, local leaders, and more, to drum up awareness of the website.
• Respond to and engage with social media followers, directing them to the website.
• Monitor social media analytics and keep track of trends and social media reach and effectiveness. Compile a report after the election on all social media activities and their reach.
• Report weekly to Dr. Elmore on your progress.
• It is imperative that all social media posts apply correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, and above all, accuracy, as social media is a “public face” for how our organization is viewed by followers and the candidates. All posts should also be acceptable in “taste” to a wide and varied audience and to take care not to risk problems with libel or copyright, or any sort of partisan leanings.
• It would be great if the selected student could come up with an effective social media plan from the start that seeks to reach and engage the largest possible local audience (not just college students).
• During the initial weeks of the internship, prior to when most people are thinking about the election, we would also like the student to make follow-up contacts to candidates who have not yet responded to our questionnaire or provided a photo. While all will have received an initial contact, it is always the case that some need reminders (and some never respond). This might require reaching out by email, phone, and/or social media.

Learning Goals: Social Media Intern, ENC Elections Initiatives:

• Learn how to apply and test knowledge gained in the classroom regarding the promotion and outreach activities of a nonprofit community activity.
• Apply and test knowledge gained in the classroom regarding social media analytics and how to best apply what is learned there to improve the reach and effectiveness of social media.
• Gain an understanding of the knowledge and duties required of a social media representative for local nonprofit civic ventures.
• Explore interest and personal development in the field of voter engagement.
• Develop decision making and critical thinking skills, increased confidence, and self-esteem in a nonprofit organizational setting.
• Develop communication skills suitable for the promotion of a local voter engagement website.
• Gain an understanding of one’s role as a potential agent of change to have a positive impact on the goals of a voter engagement service, or any other community organization.