HIGH SCHOOL CIVIC ENGAGEMENT INTERNSHIP

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Since 1985, Texas law has required all high schools in the state, public and private, to offer voter  registration applications to eligible students two times during the academic year. Despite the clear  obligations under the law, reports by the Texas Civil Rights Project and others find that the law is not  sufficiently implemented across Texas, and that high schools continue to struggle with providing voter  registration to eligible students. The High School Civic Engagement Internship Program, a collaboration  between Rice University and the League of Women Voters of Houston (LWVH), seeks to expand prior  efforts and initiatives by working with directly with high school students. 

High school interns will work with LWVH and the Rice University team, led by Prof. Melissa Marschall, to bring voter register events to high schools in HISD and other school districts in Greater Houston,  supplement existing civic education programming in high schools, and provide information and outreach to high school students to reduce barriers to their electoral and civic participation. Interns will help organize events, assist with logistics and communication, develop materials (flyers, social media posts,  videos) to encourage area youth to register and vote in the primary and general elections in 2024,  recruit students in area high schools to implement registration and civic education events and programming, and create a toolbox that can be used by future interns to continue the High School Civic  Engagement Program. We are looking for students who: 

• Are passionate about democracy, 

• have some knowledge about elections and electoral processes, 

• have good written and oral communication skills, 

• work well on teams, 

• are outgoing and willing to get out of their comfort zone. 

The internship will last 12 weeks. Students will be expected to work on average 5 hours per week. We will have team meetings via Zoom and interns will be expected to check in by email in weeks when meetings are not scheduled. Students who are 18 will be expected to complete the VDVR training so that they can assist with voter registration at their own school.  Assisting with registration events at other locations as a VDVR or in other ways (in-person) is not required, though opportunities will be available for those interested and available.