Ballot Measures Staff Writer (Remote)

The Position

Ballotpedia seeks a full-time, 100% remote Staff Writer to join our Ballot Measures Team. 

The staff writer's job is to develop and improve information about direct democracy. 

The Ballot Measures project provides comprehensive coverage of state ballot measures, local ballot measures, historical ballot measures, and the laws governing ballot measures. Coverage includes: 

• Phases of the ballot measure cycle, including signature petitions, legislative votes, and lawsuits;
• Communicating what a ballot measure is designed to change.
• Presenting a ballot measure’s political context; 
• Following campaigns surrounding measures, including campaign finance, arguments, endorsements, polls, and more; 
• Covering the elections themselves; and 
• Writing about the aftermath of a ballot measure, such as post-election lawsuits, legislative changes, and the implementation of approved measures.
• Aggregating data on ballot measures to produce unique analyses.

To succeed at Ballotpedia, you must be self-aware and personally invested in constant improvement. You must be able to write about complex topics in a neutral, clear, and concise manner. You must have a passion for creating a delightful experience for Ballotpedia’s customers, and you must strive to develop expertise in your subject and the inner workings of your project.

To understand the type of subject-matter expertise you will be expected to acquire, please read the following excerpts from Ballotpedia:

“Voters in Ohio will decide on a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to establish the Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission (CRC), a 15-member non-politician commission responsible for adopting state legislative and congressional redistricting plans. On July 23, the initiative was certified for the general election on Nov. 5. … The campaign supporting the initiative, Citizens Not Politicians, raised $26.95 million, as of the campaign finance reports released on July 31. That’s a record for a ballot measure to create a non-politician redistricting commission, also known as an independent redistricting commission.”

“Proposal 2 would add several voting and election policies to the Michigan Constitution. Some of these policies would be new, such as early voting. Others exist as state statutes and would be codified as constitutional law, such as the state's requirement that voters show identification or sign an affidavit when voting in person. … As provisions of the Michigan Constitution, legislators would not be able to repeal or amend these policies without first passing a constitutional amendment, which would require voter approval.”

“Voters have decided on at least nine ballot measures related to religion in public schools during the past 100 years. The decade with the highest number was in the 1970s, when voters decided on four between 1970 and 1972. Topics included the Ten Commandments, the Bible, prayer and contemplation, religious clothing, excused absence for religious instruction, and students’ religious rights.”

Responsibilities

As a Ballot Measures Staff Writer, you will:

• Produce excellent articles about ballot measures according to guidelines and training.
• Track the status of measures for assigned states using state and legislative websites.
• Track and aggregate campaign finance for ballot measure PACs.  
• Develop expertise in your assigned states, including how the ballot measure process works in those states.
• Monitor the news for relevant updates, including endorsements, polls, and arguments, and add relevant information to pages and the database.
• Generate new ballot measures content as needed based on trends and changes in the political context.
• Analyze state, historical, and local ballot measure data and publish analysis pages.
• Research to find historical information on ballot measures from prior decades, including from government websites, newspaper archives, and other resources.
• Ensure that your team's managing editor, team lead, and team members know about your project progress by attending short, scheduled weekly meetings and regularly updating Asana tasks.
• Contribute to Ballotpedia’s election night coverage, including updating election results in real-time and working with the elections team as needed.
• Cover assigned breaking news shifts outside of regular working hours during infrequent, scheduled on-call shifts (about 3-4 weeknights and 1-2 weekends per year).
• Learn and master Ballotpedia’s Style Guide (which is based on the AP Stylebook). 
• Use and master tools such as templates, spreadsheets, and our database.
• Use the Ballotpedia database according to established processes.
• Generate news stories for Ballotpedia News and our newsletters.
• Appear on the Ballotpedia’s podcast, videos, or webinars as needed.
• Have opportunities to field media requests, as needed, with experience.

Skills and Qualifications

An ideal Ballot Measures Staff Writer will possess the following:

• A strong passion for and knowledge of politics, particularly the U.S. political system and elections. They stay informed about current events and are up-to-date on news in American politics.
• Excellent writing skills and can write concisely and in a neutral way about complex topics. They know that the skill requires constant practice. 
• Ability to manage time, effectively prioritizing tasks while maintaining high-quality standards.
• They quickly respond to changes and easily shift between tasks as the political environment changes.
• With training, the ability to independently track a large number of news stories and state or county legislative and elections websites.
• Adept at analyzing data and identifying trends.
• Proficient organizational skills and proofreading ability. Ballotpedia has its own style guide that is based on the AP Stylebook.
• Ability to look at our content from different points of view. They understand how customers with different political beliefs, needs, or priorities perceive our content. 
• A drive and desire for innovation and flexibility. They can identify and solve problems proactively. Adapting to changing tasks is critical.
• The ability to handle critical feedback well. They view it as an opportunity to deliver greater value to our readers. 
• Experience with spreadsheets or databases is preferred.

Environment

The Ballot Measures Staff Writer will work remotely from their home location. All Ballotpedia staff work remotely. To join Ballotpedia, you must have a computer with internet access. Ballotpedia uses Google Suite (Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive, and more), Slack, and Asana to accomplish our goals. Working familiarity and/or experience with these or similar platforms is highly desirable.

Ballotpedia has a flexible work environment, BP Flex, in which every employee enjoys unlimited vacation and flexibility in scheduling. During new employee training, each employee will be oriented to the principles of Ballotpedia’s flexible environment.

Compensation

The starting pay range for the Ballot Measures Team Staff Writer is $42,500-44,000, commensurate with experience.

In addition to salary, Ballotpedia offers an annual benefits stipend equivalent to $8,000 that is paid out in equal increments in each paycheck once an employee becomes benefits-eligible following a brief review period. The stipend may be used to pay for a full benefits package, including health, vision, dental insurance, retirement accounts, and more. If benefits are not elected, the stipend is taxed as regular income and added to salary. 

To Apply

To apply, please visit our job opportunities page and complete an application on our website. Please attach the following in PDF format if possible:

• résumé
• cover letter detailing your interest in Ballotpedia’s mission/this position
• neutral writing sample (under five pages) included in the same file as your cover letter

Please ensure that your résumé or cover letter includes your current address.

About Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia is a mission-driven organization dedicated to providing Americans with accurate, relevant, and reliable information about politics, elections, and public policy. Our goal is to close the ballot information gap and help voters make informed decisions. We value innovation, humility, hunger, and a collaborative spirit and are committed to continuously improving our offerings to better serve our audiences, readers, and candidates.