Ballot Measures Staff Writer

Summary

Join Ballotpedia's Ballot Measures Team as a full-time, 100% remote Staff Writer. You will develop and improve information about direct democracy, covering all phases of the ballot measure cycle, from signature petitions to post-election analysis. This role requires excellent writing skills, data analysis abilities, and a passion for politics. You will track ballot measure statuses, campaign finance, and relevant news, contributing to Ballotpedia's election coverage and producing insightful analyses. Ballotpedia offers a flexible work environment with unlimited vacation and a generous benefits stipend. The starting salary is $42,500-44,000, commensurate with experience.

Requirements

• A strong passion for and knowledge of politics, particularly the U.S. political system and elections. They stay informed about current events and are up-to-date on news in American politics
• Excellent writing skills and can write concisely and in a neutral way about complex topics. They know that the skill requires constant practice
• Ability to manage time, effectively prioritizing tasks while maintaining high-quality standards
• They quickly respond to changes and easily shift between tasks as the political environment changes
• With training, the ability to independently track a large number of news stories and state or county legislative and elections websites
• Adept at analyzing data and identifying trends
• Proficient organizational skills and proofreading ability. Ballotpedia has its own style guide that is based on the AP Stylebook
• Ability to look at our content from different points of view. They understand how customers with different political beliefs, needs, or priorities perceive our content
• A drive and desire for innovation and flexibility. They can identify and solve problems proactively. Adapting to changing tasks is critical
• The ability to handle critical feedback well. They view it as an opportunity to deliver greater value to our readers

Responsibilities

• Produce excellent articles about ballot measures according to guidelines and training
• Track the status of measures for assigned states using state and legislative websites
• Track and aggregate campaign finance for ballot measure PACs
• Develop expertise in your assigned states, including how the ballot measure process works in those states
• Monitor the news for relevant updates, including endorsements, polls, and arguments, and add relevant information to pages and the database
• Generate new ballot measures content as needed based on trends and changes in the political context
• Analyze state, historical, and local ballot measure data and publish analysis pages
• Research to find historical information on ballot measures from prior decades, including from government websites, newspaper archives, and other resources
• Ensure that your team's managing editor, team lead, and team members know about your project progress by attending short, scheduled weekly meetings and regularly updating Asana tasks
• Contribute to Ballotpedia’s election night coverage, including updating election results in real-time and working with the elections team as needed
• Cover assigned breaking news shifts outside of regular working hours during infrequent, scheduled on-call shifts (about 3-4 weeknights and 1-2 weekends per year)
• Learn and master Ballotpedia’s Style Guide (which is based on the AP Stylebook)
• Use and master tools such as templates, spreadsheets, and our database
• Use the Ballotpedia database according to established processes
• Generate news stories for Ballotpedia News and our newsletters
• Appear on the Ballotpedia’s podcast, videos, or webinars as needed
• Have opportunities to field media requests, as needed, with experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with spreadsheets or databases is preferred
• Working familiarity and/or experience with these or similar platforms is highly desirable

Benefits

• 100% remote work
• Flexible work environment, BP Flex, in which every employee enjoys unlimited vacation and flexibility in scheduling
• Annual benefits stipend equivalent to $8,000 that is paid out in equal increments in each paycheck once an employee becomes benefits-eligible following a brief review period. The stipend may be used to pay for a full benefits package, including health, vision, dental insurance, retirement accounts, and more