The Carter Center is a non-partisan organization that is committed to promoting human rights and seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health through innovative, responsive programming. The Carter Center’s Rule of Law Program (RLP) works in partnership with lawyers, law schools, state bars, legal organizations, and the broader legal community in the U.S. to strengthen the rule of law and democratic processes.
In response to the anti-democratic rhetoric and violence of the 2020 election cycle, RLP is implementing the Advancing the Rule of Law in U.S. Elections (ARLUSE)program. ARLUSE’s objective is to increase the knowledge of election law and practice in the U.S. among legal professionals and provide those professionals with the necessary experience and opportunities to strengthen the rule of law and its application in American elections.
With initial implementation in Georgia, the ARLUSE team developed an election-law training program, which it subsequently deployed through continuing legal education (CLE) courses and other training events. Now, the ARLUSE team is expanding to Wisconsin and is seeking to hire a Program Coordinator (PC) to lead the day-to-day implementation and oversight of ARLUSE programming there for the remainder of 2024.
Role and purpose: Specifically, the PC will identify, build relationships, and collaborate with law schools, state bars, legal associations, and individual lawyers to hold a series of election-law training events and other educational activities for legal professionals and upper-level law students, using ALUSE training materials. The PC will also seek to identify and take advantage of opportunities to train law students and provide them with professional experience in areas that touch on election law and administration, including but not limited to externships.
Relatedly, the PC will serve as an RLP/ARLUSE representative to various coordination forums in Wisconsin and internally at The Carter Center and report to the RLP Associate Director responsible for the overall implementation and management of ARLUSE.
Responsibilities include:
- Identify, cultivate, and maintain partnerships with Wisconsin law schools, local legal organizations, legal professionals, and other relevant groups to collaborate on and participate in ARLUSE programming.
- Develop and implement on-the-ground ARLUSE program strategies and activities, using ARLUSE training materials, in coordination with program partners and in consultation with the RLP Associate Director. Examples include but are not limited to:
- CLE courses;
- Law review/journal symposia;
- Legal clinics for lawyers or law students;
- Pre-externship training and support for placement with voting rights organizations, the state legislature, and other relevant organizations; and
- Training events or other opportunities for legal professionals.
- Serve as the ARLUSE representative and liaise with elections-focused groups and other relevant organizations in Wisconsin.
- Liaise and coordinate program implementation between the Atlanta-based ARLUSE team and other Carter Center teams working in Wisconsin as appropriate.
- Adapt ARLUSE programming activities and interventions in Wisconsin based on feedback and data in coordination and consultation with the RLP Associate Director as needed.
- Lead the development of new strategies and activities in Wisconsin in coordination and consultation with the RLP Associate Director as needed.
- Lead the ARLUSE team’s Wisconsin communication efforts as needed.
- Cultivate potential donors and support fundraising and proposal development as needed.
- Other responsibilities as needed.
Key deliverables include:
- Establish and maintain partnerships with legal professionals, law schools, law journals, legal organizations, and other election-focused groups or organizations that result in:
- Collaboration on ARLUSE programming activities; and
- Committed election-law champions that can be integrated into the Carter Center’s Wisconsin Democracy Resilience Network.
- Organize and/or deliver five to eight training events with program partners that target legal professionals, using ARLUSE training materials and increasing participants’ knowledge and skills related to election law and its practice.
- Conduct one activity that supports law student externships in the area of elections and provides law students with practical experience in the area of election law.
- Identification of opportunities to deploy and encourage the uptake of ARLUSE training materials beyond The Carter Center.
- Other deliverables as required.
Qualifications include:
- Education:
- An undergraduate degree in political science, international relations, public administration, or other related areas.
- A law degree is highly preferred but not necessary if the applicant can demonstrate multiple years of work experience in the legal community in Wisconsin, especially in the areas of election law, public policy, or state legislature.
- Experience:
- Minimum 5 years of experience in the legal education community, practicing law, or other relevant areas, such as public policy, the state legislature, political organizing, and/or NGOs/civil society organizations focused on voting rights and elections.
- Proven ability to develop and manage relationships, ideally in the legal community, with a variety of stakeholders from different types of institutions (e.g. educational, public sector, non-profit, etc.).
- Proven ability to develop and implement events, especially trainings and convenings, in coordination with program partners.
- Demonstrated leadership and organizational skills and superb communication skills.
- Commitment to working across partisan lines to strengthen American elections and the rule of law.
Time schedule: This position is part-time and the estimated number of working days for the PC is 5 to 10 days per month dependent on program implementation. The start date for this position is June 1, 2024, at the latest, and the estimated end date is August 31, 2024, with the potential for extension through the remainder of 2024.
Location: The position will be home-based in Wisconsin. However, it may require some in-state travel.
How to apply
To apply, please send a resume, three references, and a cover letter explaining your interest in and suitability for the position to us-elections-rol@cartercenter.org by May 3, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.