Voting Rights & Civics
Citizen Action of New York – hybrid position
https://citizenactionny.org
Non-profit, 20+ staff members + members/volunteers
Address: Poughkeepsie
Action Areas: Education Policy and Equity, Environmental Justice and Food Security, Housing Insecurity/Justice, Prison Abolition, Public Health, Racial Justice, Reproductive Rights, Voting Rights
About: Citizen Action of New York is a grassroots membership organization taking on big issues that are at the center of transforming society by:
– Ensuring our children have a quality public education no matter their zip code
– Ending our current system of mass incarceration and establishing a new system of justice
– Holding government accountable to all citizens
– Fighting for guaranteed quality, affordable health care
– Taking big money out of politics by creating a fair elections system
– Aiming to dismantle the historic racist system by promoting racial justice
– Striving for a more progressive tax system to begin to end the runaway inequality in our state
– Addressing the climate crisis and transitioning to a renewable energy economy
– We look for opportunities to accomplish big changes – not small, incremental reforms. We work to elect progressive candidates to office who are committed to these issues. Our power comes from the grassroots: people coming together to push the edge of the possible. – Every new member helps bring New York and America closer to a society that works for all of us!
We envision a world where every person’s basic needs are met. It’s a world filled with love and respect for its people and the planet. It’s a world where democracy reigns and each person is able to reach their fullest potential.
Position Description: Student will contribute to our organization by assisting with:
1) Community outreach through phonebanking, community canvassing, tabling, and social media engagement.
2) Recording, tracking, and submitting weekly data reports to help illustrate & analyze our work in the community.
3) Assisting development of community profiles, policy fact sheets, and other resources to help inform our local advocacy efforts
Desired Skills: Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Fact-checking, Public speaking/presenting, Research skills, Social media management, Data collection/analysis
Are you interested in getting involved with Citizen Action? Visit here for your next steps.
Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation – hybrid work is possible
Non-profit, 30+ team members
Address: 15 Stone Castle Road, Rock Tavern NY 12575; and satellite staging locations/field offices in Dutchess, Columbia, Ulster and Rockland Counties.
Action Areas: Economic Justice, Education Policy and Equity, Environmental Justice and Food Security, Housing Insecurity/Justice, Public Health, Racial Justice, Voting Rights, Collective bargaining, pension reform
About: The Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation represents 113,000 union families across seven counties: Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster.
The Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation was created in June 2001 as part of the National AFL-CIO’s New Alliance initiative. Our goal, working with our partner Central Labor Councils (CLCs), is to lay the foundations for a more visible and bold labor movement that reflects the hopes and dreams of working families in the Hudson Valley.
The Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation proudly joins nearly 500 state and local labor councils of the AFL-CIO and is the heart of the labor movement. We are democratically elected bodies dedicated to represent the interests of working people at the state and local levels. We mobilize our members and community partners to advocate for social and economic justice and we strive daily to vanquish oppression and make our communities better for all people—regardless of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national origin.
Our core program areas include:
- Public Policy advocacy and research to support campaigns for responsible economic development, workers’ rights, affordable housing, accessible childcare, and quality education.
- Multi-Union Mobilization to support labor struggles, internal organizing trainings, new member organizing, and coordinated political action.
- Community Outreach to social and economic justice organizations, faith leaders, student organizations at area campuses, and other community partners that share our vision for power and unity in the hands of working families.
- Political Action to elect candidates that serve the needs of working families through coordinated labor-to-labor worksite leafleting, door-to-door canvassing, phone banks and GOTV, voter registration drives, and political mobilization trainings.
Position Description: Labor to Labor Political Organizing Internship
The Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation is seeking 3-5 interns to assist with our 2026 Labor to Labor Get out The Vote Campaign in New York’s 17th and 19th congressional districts, from September 8-November 3. In order to win these crucial races we need to contact 150k union members and their families this fall.
Interns will report directly to NYS AFL-CIO/HVALF Field Coordinator.
Union Member Voter Outreach:
- Assist with virtual Zoom phone banks at least twice a week from 6-8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Event Support:
- Assist with setting up canvasses at various staging locations
- Bundle palm cards
- Assist with volunteer sign-in at Labor Walks (canvasses)
- Assist with volunteer recruitment and shift confirmation calls
Desired Skills:
- A desire to advocate for working people and to elect candidates who will fight for them in Washington and Albany.
- A desire to immerse yourself in the labor movement
- Comfort with making phone calls and cold calls
- Ideal candidates will be comfortable working under pressure and adhering to deadlines, as well as adapting to the unpredictability of political and organizing campaigns
- A political science, history, or economics, or labor studies is desirable but not required
- Experience volunteering for political campaigns; door knocking and phone banking is preferred but not required
- Familiarity and proficiency with Google Suite
Additional Requirements: Driver’s license
Hours: 4 hrs/week or 8 hrs/week
Are you interested in getting involved with The Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation? Visit here for your next steps.
Hyde Park Town Board
Government Organization, 30+ team members
Address: 4383 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538
Action Areas: Voting Rights
About: I was recently elected to the Town Board of Hyde Park as a Democrat. As this is my first term in elected local government, I am seeking a student intern interested in gaining hands-on experience in municipal governance. This opportunity would provide valuable, real-world education on how town government functions and would be applicable to a wide range of future academic and career paths, including public service, law, planning, policy, and community advocacy.
Position Description: Possible areas of focus for the internship include:
- Observing and assisting with Town Board meetings and committee work
- Researching local issues, policies, and legislation relevant to town government
- Helping prepare briefing materials, summaries, and agendas
- Learning about zoning, land use, budgeting, and municipal services
- Assisting with constituent communication and community outreach
- Supporting coordination with town departments and community organizations
- Gaining insight into ethical standards, transparency, and public accountability in government
Desired Skills: Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Fact-checking, Research skills, Writing, Data collection/analysis
Hours: 4 hrs/week
For the Many
Address: 302a Mill St, Poughkeepsie NY 12601
Action Areas: Environmental Justice and Food Security, Housing Insecurity/Justice, Public Health, Racial Justice, Voting Rights
About: For the Many is a grassroots multiracial organization in the Hudson Valley organizing to win elections and pass laws that make New York work for all of us. We connect people to housing and immigration services, we lobby with/and on behalf of working and low-income Hudson Valley residents, and we engage in elections and legislative work that uplift community issues like housing and utility bills.
Our organization believes in support and accountability from our volunteers up to our directors. We are rooted in a coaching and learning mentality. We believe everyone can be leader in their community!
Position Description: Students help our organization in a number of ways! They engage community members in local and statewide legislative efforts, the organize their peers at school around issues like immigration and climate change, they offer administrative support, event planning, fundraising, and many other key tasks and responsibilities.
Typically students engage in our work either by attending our events and outreach efforts but we also facilitate a student internship program for students that are willing and able to work with us for at least 4 hours a week. For more information visit https://forthemany.org/internship/.
Desired Skills: Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Graphic design, Public speaking/presenting, Social media management, Writing, Data collection/analysis, Proficiency with google drive, sheets, and docs
Hours: 4hrs/week, We have a number of roles available up to 10 hours a week over the course of a semester but all roles start at 4 hours a week
Positions Available: as many as interested!
Are you interested in getting involved with For the Many? Visit here for your next steps.
Town of Poughkeepsie Government
https://townofpoughkeepsie.com/
Municipality with 30+ team members
Address: 1 Overocker Poughkeepsie NY 12603
Action Areas: Environmental Justice and Food Security, Housing Insecurity/Justice, local government services
About: Town of Poughkeepsie is our municipality, responsible for infrastructure (roads, water, sewer), public safety, parks and recreation programs, Senior Center, and a Town Hall Farm Stand with Dutchess Outreach.
Position Descriptions:
- Buy Green/Buy Local Intern: We are seeking a student intern to assist with new initiatives, primarily a “buy local/buy green” campaign that will culminate into a buy local/buy green fair.
- Small Business Intern: Maintaining an online local business directory, and with public outreach, including outreach to Spanish-speaking residents. Students will communicate with local business owners and survey them to understand how the Town of Poughkeepsie can improve its services.
- GIS and OpenGov Mapping Intern: Our Town Engineer is also working with Vassar faculty member Neil Curri on an OCEL internship to work on GIS and OpenGov mapping upgrades.
- Policy Intern: Support with research policy for the Town Board.
Desired Skills: Bilingual Spanish-English, Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, GIS/Mapping, Social media management, Writing
Hours: 4hrs/week, If a student is interested in 8 hrs/week, we can arrange that.
Are you interested in getting involved with The Town of Poughkeepsie? Visit here for your next steps.
Prisoners’ Brain Trust – remote work
Non-profit, 1-5 team members
Mid-Hudson Valley
https://www.instagram.com/prisonersbraintrust
Action Areas: Prison Abolition
About: The Prisoners’ Brain Trust (“PBT’) embodies people directly impacted
by the prison industrial complex’s many harms. Our members are a combination of queer/trans, cis-hetero, Black, Brown Indigenous People of Color, and white anti-racist/anti-authoritarian partners. Each member brings their full carceral and personal experiences into our work to dissect ow policies impact and intersect our lives and communities. Prisoners’ Brain Trust addresses toxicity associated with the patriarchal structure; provides gender & sexuality training, political education, and leadership development; hones public speaking/debate skills; and offers moral/emotional support through the community.
Spring 2026 Position Descriptions
- Felony Murder Law Policy Intern: We are looking for a dedicated Policy Intern to support the “Faces of the Felony Murder Law” campaign during the Spring 2026 semester. This is a volunteer role requiring 80 hours total. the intern will work closely with the Campaign Lead, attend strategic meetings, and help produce advocacy materials for legislative actions in Albany. Read the full description here.
- Data-Justice Research Intern (Felony-Murder Doctrine, Dutchess County): The Prisoners’ Brain Trust (PBT) invites motivated undergraduate students to join a fourteen-week, unpaid research internship for the Spring 2026 semester (January 20 – May 2). Working remotely the intern will help build a rigorously vetted dataset on individuals charged under the felony-murder doctrine in Dutchess County over the past ten years. The data will be used to inform a policy brief, visual advocacy tools, and a larger, statewide funding campaign aimed at dismantling the doctrine. Must commit to 5-6 hours/week. Read the full description here.
- Social Media Intern: We are seeking a motivated Social Media Intern to support our Social Media Manager in expanding PBT’s Instagram presence during the Spring 2026 semester. This part-time, remote internship totals 80 hours and is designed for a candidate who shares our commitment to abolitionist politics, Black feminist theory, and centering the voices of prisoners. The internship is unpaid. Read the full description here.
Are you interested in getting involved with PBT? Visit here for your next steps.
Lisa Kaul for New York State Senate
Political campaign, 1-5 team members
Town of Poughkeepsie, NY
Action Areas: Voting Rights & Civics
About: Lisa Kaul is a Democrat running for election in New York Senate’s 39th district running a community-centered, values-based campaign. Lisa’s top priorities are lowering the cost of living, protecting our climate, defending American values, and expanding opportunity for all.
Position Description: Interns can support the campaign in a variety of ways, including: meeting voters by making calls, door-knocking, and attending events; supporting the candidate by joining her at events and taking photos and videos; boosting social media profiles; connecting with community organizations and political offices to ensure turnout on Election day.
Desired Skills: A desire to make a difference in their community
Hours: 4hrs/week, 8hrs/week
Positions Available: 1 – 5
Senator Rob Rolison NY 39 District Office
Government, 5-10 team members
Address: 3 Neptune Road Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Action Areas: Education Policy and Equity, Environmental Justice and Food Security, Expression, Arts, and Culture, Housing Insecurity/Justice, Mental Health Access and Support, Public Health
About: District Office Community Outreach/ Constituent Services
Position description:Attend community meetings, constituent meeting with senator and or staff. Research legislation. Maintain data bases.
Desired Skills:Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Fact-checking, Public speaking/presenting, Research skills, Data collection/analysis
Hours:4hrs/week, 8hrs/week, Whatever fits with both schedules
Are you interested in getting involved with Senator Rolison? Visit here for your next steps.
PACT
Non-profit, 20-25 team members
27 W 60th Street, #20014 New York, NY 10023
Action Areas: Preventive Education, Policy
About: More than 30 years ago, PACT (formerly ECPAT-USA) became the first U.S.-based nonprofit to raise awareness about the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Initially, PACT addressed sex tourism by helping to pass legislation that made it possible to prosecute Americans who traveled abroad to purchase and engage in sex with minors, ensuring that those who sexually exploited children in other countries could be held accountable in the U.S. Today, PACT now stands as the leading organization in the United States dedicated to ending the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.
PACT’s mission is to protect every child’s right to grow up free from child sexual exploitation and trafficking. Our mission is achieved through four pillars: education, private sector engagement and community outreach, and legislative advocacy.
PACT’s approach to the prevention of child trafficking and commercial exploitation is unique due to our is multi-prong approach, which includes educational programs, legislative advocacy, engagement of the private sector who have a critical role to play in anti-trafficking efforts, as they can help to effect change through their business practices and operations, ensuring proper training of their staff, and helping to publicly raise awareness about this terrible problem; and research initiatives. Our programs and services are evidence-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate, and trauma-informed; Importantly, they are also informed by the Lived Experience Experts who serve on our Survivors Council, as well as the members of our Youth Advisory Council. Their contributions help to ensure that PACT’s programs and educational curricula content remain grounded in the realities of human trafficking, but the language employed to describe it is immediately accessible. Through these programs, PACT has trained educators, service providers, parents, and professionals across 35 states.
Position Description:
- Our interns will have the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, including data entry, outreach, reviewing and editing our different curricula and presentations, and collaborating on program design. As an intern, you will not only collaborate with the programs department, but also network with other departments. In addition to the essential work you will be completing, you will also receive guidance and instruction.
Responsibilities/Duties:
- Review our curricula workshops; provide feedback and suggestions for workshops and programs
- Ensure the materials, activities, and topics covered in our workshops are age appropriate and culturally relevant to youth. Practice workshop facilitation.
- Brainstorm and propose additions to our current youth programming, community engagement, and private sector engagement.
- Conduct Outreach for our different programs
- Carryout presentations to youth groups or Community events.
- Conduct research for programs. Assist in content creation for our program.
- Complete data entry and outreach for our program, with a focus on schools, community centers, and youth serving organizations across New York State.
- Participate in cross-departmental projects, as requested.
- Participate in professional skills development activities.
Desired Skills:
- Bilingual Spanish-English, Bilingual with another language, Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Fact-checking, Previous experience working with young people, Public speaking/presenting, Research skills, Writing, Data collection/analysis
Additional Requirements:
- Background check
Are you interested in getting involved with PACT? Visit here for your next steps.
County Planning/Dutchess County Transportation Council (DCTC)
https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Planning/planning.htm
Government organization; This position would be shared between County Planning and DCTC. The County Planning Department has about 20 staff; there are 2 staff for DCTC.
Address: 85 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 107 Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Action Areas: Land use planning; Transportation Planning, Livability, Sustainability, Safety, Access
About: The County Planning Department provides land use and environmental planning assistance to municipalities, both at a county-wide and local level. The DCTC is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Dutchess County. We do county-wide transportation planning and local transportation studies for municipalities.
Position Description:
- Land use referral management
- Data analysis, mapping, and assistance with planning and transportation studies.
- Potential for writing and graphics work depending on skills.
Desired Skills: Research skills, Writing, Data collection/analysis, GIS/Mapping, Graphic design, organization & attention to detail
Hours: 4hrs/week (once or twice per week)
Positions Available: 1
Are you interested in getting involved with the Transportation Council? Visit here for your next steps.
Hinchey For NY (must have access to a vehicle to travel across counties)
Political campaign, 1-5 team members
Action Areas: Voting Rights & Civics
About: Michelle was born and raised here in the Hudson Valley and has been leading the charge to make Upstate more affordable for working families by cracking down on unfair billing practices from utilities, including ending automatic rate increases, securing funding to help build new housing, and investing in our local economy. She is endorsed by a broad coalition of unions, advocacy groups, and the Working Families Party.
Students should also know that as a campaign spanning the entirety of the 41st State Senate District, they will be travelling through Dutchess, Columbia, Greene, and Ulster County.
Position Description: Students will aid our field efforts in re-electing Michelle Hinchey to the State Senate in the 41st District. Students will interact with voters and share our organizational values with the broader community. Phone calling, door-knocking, and data collecting will be major contributions to our goals for the next few months. Whether you’re passionate about politics or just getting started, this internship will provide invaluable skills and insights.
Desired Skills: Communications – emails, phone calls, in person outreach, Copywriting, Fact-checking, Graphic design, Research skills, Writing
Hours: 4 hrs/week
Positions Available: as many as interested
Are you interested in getting involved with the Hinchey campaign?? Visit here for your next steps.