JOB ANNOUNCEMENT- Voter Registration Coordinator (Houston, TX)
www.organizetexas.org
The Texas Organizing Project is seeking applicants for a Voter Registration Coordinator position based in Houston, TX. The ideal candidate is committed to growing the electorate through voter registration and grassroots GOTV efforts. This person will be hard working, detail orientated, unafraid to make asks to grow the program, able to create and maintain accountable systems, research and author local policy recommendations, and can work well in partnership with other organizations.
Who We Are
The Texas Organizing Project (TOP) is a Texas-based, non-profit organization promoting social and economic equality for low to moderate income Texans through community and electoral organizing working in Harris, Dallas and Bexar Counties. Our grassroots organizing is anchored by dues paying members who take ownership and have a personal stake in the success of efforts to better their communities. TOP provides a unique opportunity to recruit and develop grassroots leaders, build a membership base and implement effective electoral organizing strategies. TOP's work impacts choices power brokers make on quality of life issues such as living wage jobs, community schools, health care, housing and safe, vibrant neighborhoods. TOP also runs the largest independent grassroots electoral field operation in the state, touching nearly 700,000 voters, primarily unlikely voters of color, in 2014
Project Background
Harris County, where Houston is situated, is the third largest county in the country with a population of over 4.4 million, it is larger than half of the states in the US including Iowa, Nevada and New Mexico.
With 25 independent school districts and nearly 1.12 million students, high school seniors constitute approximately 75,000 students each year. Under Texas state law, high school principals are required to offer students who are 18, or who will soon turn 18, the opportunity to register to vote twice a year. Multiple investigations show that most Texas high schools fail to comply with these requirements — in large part, because high school leaders are unaware of their responsibilities and liabilities under law. Although state election officials have a legal obligation to enforce the high school registration requirements, officials currently fail to effectively notify high school principals of their duties, offer insufficient guidance to ensure uniform compliance with the laws and take no steps to monitor compliance. As a result, young Texans are missing their first chance to exercise the franchise and many high school administrators and teachers are at risk, under existing law, of criminal liability.
Job Summary
The Voter Registration Coordinator will support a multi-prong strategy to boost high school registration rates by coordinating, recruiting, and supporting strategic community voter registration partners, working with legal nonprofits to forward litigation against the state, enlisting and engaging grass-top leaders, researching voter registration best practices and recommending local policy changes, and designing and directing a public communication strategy to implement systematic voter registration programs in Harris County High Schools.
Responsibilities
1) Coordinating and supporting existing Voter Registration efforts and recruiting new Voter Registration partners
· Working with existing partners to decrease overlap and to create shared systems to maximize efforts
· Recruiting new and building capacity within organizations in order to expand voter registration efforts
· Sharing information with partners on registration opportunities, creating new opportunities for partners to register students, and assisting with volunteer recruitment for High School VR efforts
· Ensuring that standardized quality control measures are in place regarding data collection to both meet the State's strict legal requirements and so that nonpartisan GOTV efforts will be successful
· Providing training and quality control to participating groups regarding data collection, data entry, and data management systems
· Creating and running best practices organizational and volunteer trainings.
· Working with groups to set and meet ambitious goals, creating metric systems to stay on pace
2) Identifying, implementing, and institutionalizing best voter registration practices
· Working directly with groups to understand obstacles to High School registration efforts, identifying creative solutions and systems to overcome, and sharing solutions broadly
· Creating best practices Voter Registration Toolbox to be used by groups, schools, and other interested parties.
· Working with legal partners to identify impediments to large scale institutional registration efforts, providing examples, data, and people affected.
· Creating shared systems to capture data and legal voter registration information into the VAN
· Working with local Board of Election to trouble shoot problems, and track that new registrants are getting on the rolls
3) Co Creating and directing communications strategy
· Working in partnership with TOP Communications Director, legal, and community partners to develop and implement communications strategy
· Coordinating earned media opportunities, writing opinion editorials, working directly with media outlets to publicize our efforts, etc.
· Identifying and developing community voter registration spokespeople to create a public culture of support for Voter Registration efforts
· Build and manage a base of grass tops leaders and stakeholders such as High School Principals, Elected Officials, and Community Leaders who can and will publicly support and defend voter registration efforts.
· Authoring reports on the success and metrics of program
4) Special Projects as needed
· Representing TOP in Election Protection Coalitions
· Assisting in research under the TOP Research Department
Experience and Skills
· Strong background in developing civic participation projects and campaigns and/or social , racial, or economic justice campaigns
· Demonstrated ability to contribute to creating a positive work environment that encourages personal responsibility, initiative, and innovation
- Political Field work 1-2 years experience
- Volunteer recruitment and management work 2+ years
- Experience working with allies and in partnership with ally organizations 1-2 years
- Experience supervising other staff or volunteers
- Basic database knowledge including working with VAN
- Proficient in Excel and Google docs
- Excellent at multi-tasking - ability to keep track of multiple details and balance multiple projects
- Strong written and verbal skills
- Bilingual in Spanish a plus
- Must have a car
Location: Houston, TX
Salary and Benefits: Commensurate with experience plus full benefits.
To apply: Send resume, cover letter, salary requirements, and the names and contact information of three references to ttaylor@organizetexas.org
TOP is an equal opportunity employer – women and people of color are encouraged to apply.
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