Vote100 Preceptorial Fellows

Sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS) and led by an enthusiastic team of student leaders representing a myriad of academic and co-curricular interests, Vote100 is a multi-faceted initiative that aspires for 100% of Princeton undergraduates to vote in all elections, and in instances when they are not eligible to vote, to engage civically in support of democratic elections and other issues of equity and fairness that are meaningful to them.

Since 2014, the campaign has been the primary effort to register voters and promote the democratic process at Princeton and beyond our gates. Vote100 led numerous campus activities in the 2016 and 2018 elections, and have made tremendous strides in improving voter participation rates for undergraduates at the University.

This summer, the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students has appointed 26 Vote100 Summer Fellows charged with the task of making sure every undergraduate knows how to register and what their voting options are, how to participate if they are not eligible voters, and to develop a voting plan that they can enact when the time comes to cast their ballot. Additionally, Vote100 Fellows will call undergraduates to demonstrate leadership by encouraging others to vote, both in the local community and in their home communities across the country.

In an effort to place this work within a larger context of voting trends and dynamics nationally, Vote100 is sponsoring six Vote100 Preceptorial Fellows to develop learning opportunities for undergraduate Fellows to think about their work in more nuanced and complex ways. The Preceptorial Fellows positions are open to candidates currently enrolled in or recently graduated from the Master in Public Affairs program at the Woodrow Wilson School. The Vote100 program is being administered virtually this summer. Preceptorial Fellows will serve a six-week term and receive a stipend of $2,000.

The selected fellows will provide the following opportunities to the Vote100 Summer Fellows:

·       Each week, three of the six Preceptorial Fellows will lead one-hour conversations with the undergraduate cohort to engage in a voting-related reading of their choosing. In the weeks when they are not scheduled to present, they will research readings and prepare for leading their discussions the following week. Readings and any supplementary material must be submitted for distribution on the Friday before the scheduled conversation. In total, the Preceptorial Fellows will lead three conversations over the six-week period; the topics can touch on different areas or explore a thematic area. The Preceptorial Fellows will communicate with each other and the Vote100 administrative staff to ensure that presentations do not overlap topically, and also highlight discussion topics that align with the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

·       Each Preceptorial Fellow will prepare one hour-long talk about their own personal academic and professional journey, and what led them to pursue graduate study in the MPA program at Princeton. These talks are designed to help undergraduate fellows connect their own academic and co-curricular interests to post graduate work and study opportunities.

·       The Preceptorial Fellows will review national youth voting research entities, such as the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (Circle) at Tufts University, to connect our efforts and strategies to national research in these areas.

·       Preceptorial Fellows will participate in bi-weekly planning meetings with the administrative staff to discuss how their work is connecting with undergraduate fellows, and help identify ways for the program to have the greatest impact.

In addition to these required duties, Preceptorial Fellows are not required but encouraged to participate in the following ways:

·       As undergraduate fellows form small working groups to address particular functional areas of voting registration and engagement, Preceptorial Fellows will be invited to join them in an advisory capacity as they do this focused work.

·       Preceptorial Fellows will be invited to join all lectures from guest speakers from across the University community that are designed to help undergraduate fellows think more deeply about issues of civic engagement.

·       Preceptorial Fellows will be encouraged to share our initiatives with the graduate student community as applicable, and formally join as Vote100 volunteer student leaders when the semester starts in the Fall.

·       Preceptorial Fellows will be invited to participate in all Vote100 activities up to and through the national election day on Tuesday, November 3rd, whether events are being held virtually or in person.

In order to express your interest in this opportunity, please submit an application here. Please highlight any specific work or academic experience around voting advocacy, campaigns, or election policies (international or domestic). Feel free to suggest some readings/discussion themes that you may offer as a fellow. We will make decisions based on the application materials submitted. Applications are due by noon on Thursday, June 25th and work will begin the week of July 6th and conclude by the week of August 10th. Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions.