"As a data and operations Intern, I worked on a variety of data projects that directly helped to expand and refine BallotReady’s database. One of the main projects I worked on was BallotReady’s new OfficeHolders Engine. For this project, I was tasked to find and compile information on thousands of officeholders across the United States holding positions at federal, state, and local levels. This project was particularly impactful for me because I knew that my work was directly helping to create BallotReady’s amazing new product: a tool designed to help constituents across the United States hold their officeholders accountable year-round and be able to easily and effectively take action on issues they care about. BallotReady’s mission to create a more informed and engaged electorate was at the core of every project I worked on throughout the summer, and every step of the way, it was profoundly impactful to know that my work was helping BallotReady improve our democracy and make it work the way it should.

As an economics and political science major, working at BallotReady gave me a firsthand look at how these two fields are applied at a social enterprise. On the economics side, it was interesting to learn how BallotReady operates and creates revenue as a company while also trying to amplify their positive externalities. As a socially-oriented startup with the traditional concerns of a for-profit business, BallotReady allowed me to see how the theoretical economics concepts of profits, revenues, externalities, and more play out in practice. On the political science side, my summer internship at BallotReady deepened my understanding of the political process and how democracy works at the federal, state, and local level. Through my work, I not only gained exposure to multiple types of elections, how they are administered, and the people who hold elected office, but also to BallotReady’s customers, which include a wide variety of groups: nonprofits, advocacy organizations, unions, state parties, counties, corporations, and more. It was interesting to be able to apply what I have learned in the classroom and see how these different stakeholders actually participate in the democratic process through BallotReady.

Naturally, being in an all online format raises challenges that would not necessarily arise while working in person. I believe that the lack of social interaction with co-workers inherent with being remote is a big challenge. However, because of BallotReady’s amazing culture and robust internship program, I was fortunate to have been able to virtually meet and learn from colleagues across departments at BallotReady from so many different backgrounds and skillsets. Hearing each of their unique, individual paths after college has helped me further my professional development and learn much more about what potential career paths I could pursue. Another challenge throughout my internship was that the data projects I was assigned were often tedious and hard to find. Despite its meticulousness, though, knowing that every piece of data I collected would be directly helping to expand BallotReady’s database and help constituents across the country be more informed and engaged citizens made it all worth it. For example, one particularly challenging project was working on researching eligibility requirements for positions across the United States; however, knowing that my work would be eventually going to BallotReady’s customer, Snapchat, to build a game-changing feature that will help more young people run for office was incredibly impactful.

Working at BallotReady was truly an incredible experience, and I am so thankful for the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise for supporting my internship this summer. In addition to enriching my economics and political science course work, my experience at BallotReady allowed me to grow as a professional, and the professional development training and expertise building I gained throughout the summer — such as strengthening my research skills, marketing abilities, and Google Sheets proficiency — are key takeaways from my internship. Additionally, working at BallotReady has allowed me to get a much clearer picture of what type of career I would like to pursue after graduation. This summer, knowing that I was contributing meaningfully to BallotReady’s major projects and helping BallotReady expand access to voting and civic participation made all the hard work worth it. I really valued the feeling of my work having purpose and helping people. Ultimately, my biggest takeaway from my experience is I now know that in whatever career I choose to pursue — whether it be in the public service sector, a nonprofit, or a civic tech social enterprise like BallotReady — I know I want my job to have a greater social impact. "