Local Expansion Staff Researcher

The Local Expansion Staff Researcher at Ballotpedia will conduct research and outreach to gather official election documents and information needed to comprehensively cover local elections, from the smallest cities to school districts. This role involves ingesting data into Ballotpedia’s database to ensure accurate election and candidate coverage, managing and auditing candidate research workflows, and monitoring election calendars for up-to-date information.

The Role

As a Local Expansion Staff Researcher, you will:

• Research reliable election information sources and conduct outreach to gather official election documents for local contests.
• Process and ingest election and candidate data into Ballotpedia’s database, using both automated tools and manual review.
• Monitor changes to election schedules and documentation to ensure Ballotpedia reflects up-todate information for upcoming local elections.
• Maintain and improve databases of sources and research processes to enhance the consistency and completeness of election coverage over time.
• Conduct data review and data cleanup activities, including:
• Reviewing data for accuracy and completeness, making corrections based on Ballotpedia’s data standards and current information in our database.
• Building knowledge of state and local election practices across assigned jurisdictions to support accurate interpretation of election materials.
• Participate in other election activities supporting Ballotpedia’s elections coverage, including:
• Researching election laws and other relevant electoral topics as needed.
• Identifying opportunities and implementing workflows to add to the depth and quality of Ballotpedia’s local election coverage.
• Improving access to Ballotpedia’s local election coverage on-site.
• Promoting Ballotpedia’s local election coverage.

Qualifications and Characteristics

An ideal Local Expansion Staff Researcher will:

• Have a passion for elections, election and voter information, and politics, with a commitment to Ballotpedia’s mission to remain neutral in providing fact-based, objective coverage.
• Have excellent research skills and the ability to follow general guidelines to locate appropriate online and direct outreach sources and record information in an organized, concise manner.
• Exhibit resourcefulness, curiosity, and an ability to recognize when information falls outside existing processes to investigate further and communicate findings.
• Have exceptional attention to detail and an ability to understand complex processes and consistently follow instructions over a large number of iterations.
• Be able to accurately and concisely summarize complex concepts, difficult text, and detailed structures.
• Have sharp critical thinking skills with the ability to understand the varied structures of a large number of sources and apply more general categories and logical statements to those structures.
• Work collaboratively within a team by proactively communicating progress, sharing relevant discoveries, and coordinating efforts.
• Enjoy organizing their own lives and the world around them through elegant structures.
• Enjoy receiving and implementing critical feedback for constant improvement.
• Be adept at using utilities such as Google Chrome, Docs, and Sheets, or similar tools to navigate, find, record, organize, and clean up information.
• Have interest in or experience using AI tools to increase productivity.

About Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia is a mission-driven organization dedicated to providing Americans with accurate, relevant, and unbiased information about politics, elections, and public policy. Our mission is to ensure that the only unknown on your ballot is who gets your vote.