Who We Are

American Oversight is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that advances truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public's right to government records. We use multiple tools, backed by aggressive litigation, to fight attacks on democratic institutions, threats to civil rights and liberties, abuses of power, and erosion of government transparency. We expose and disrupt these attacks, and the officials and networks behind them, by forcing the government to turn over records officials would rather keep secret.

Since our founding in 2017, American Oversight has:

• Shut down Trump's bogus "voter fraud" commission.
• Revealed the Trump-sanctioned pressure campaign on the Ukrainian government by forcing the Trump administration to turn over records initially withheld from Congress.
• Uncovered rampant preventable deaths of immigrants in federal custody.
• Unmasked taxpayer-funded sham "audits" of the 2020 election.
• Obtained the fake electors' forged certificates submitted by fake electors during the 2020 election.
• Exposed networks of election denialists and subverters around the country.
• Halted the impeachment of a newly elected state supreme court justice in Wisconsin.
• Blocked state election board members in Georgia and Wisconsin from taking anti-democratic actions in secret.

For more information, please visit our website: www.americanoversight.org. 

About the Role

American Oversight is looking for a curious and diligent intern to join our Research team and help expose government misconduct and abuses of power. We’re a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that advances truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public's right to government records.  

Reporting to one of our experienced researchers, the Summer Research Intern supports the research and investigations team in all respects, primarily through media monitoring, request drafting, and document review, on valuable projects that impact AO’s mission. AO’s research internship program provides university students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and AO with a pipeline of talent for future research team recruitment.

Summer Research Interns are expected to work approximately 32 hours per week.

What You Will Do

Specific tasks will shift day by day with our work, but in a typical week, you may: 

• Draft records requests: Research and draft public records requests (approximately 1 - 2 per week) to federal and state agencies to support American Oversight's accountability work.
• Review records: Review documents received in response to records requests and compile noteworthy items and ideas for follow-up research as needed.
• Synthesize documents: Draft and contribute to timelines, blog posts, and other written products  in issue areas of importance. For example, compiling a timeline of attacks on voting rights in Wisconsin in 2019 or a report on treatment of immigrants in detention centers based on our documents.
• Media monitoring: Stay informed on the relevant activities of the federal government and state governments and identify areas where AO could use public records requests to hold officials accountable.
• Provide Strategic Partnerships team support: Participate in the exchange of research insights on partner and coalition calls with our Strategic Partnerships team.
• Provide Research team support: Support AO's research team by lending a hand with research projects.
• Attend and participate in regular meetings with the Research team and with AO’s broader staff. 

What You Will Bring

• Strong research, writing, and oral communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. 
• Interest and engagement in political news and the workings of the federal and state governments. 
• Comfort handling multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Positive attitude and willingness to take initiative.
• Willingness to ask for guidance or support when needed.
• Ability to synthesize information from multiple sources.
• High degree of professional ethics, discretion, and integrity.

Desired Qualifications

• Interest in government accountability and ethics. 
• Familiarity with major issues in national political news and the way they are discussed in mainstream media, as well as the ability to quickly learn new topics as they arise.
• Experience working independently in a remote environment and self-managing deadlines. 
• Prior experience working collaboratively within a team and cross-departmentally.

We encourage individuals to apply even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications. 

Location

American Oversight is a remote-first organization. Our interns must work from any of the following locations: CA, DC, DE, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, VA, or WI. 

Our office in Washington, DC is an optional workspace.

Compensation

$19 per hour. This rate is subject to adjustment based on the needs or restrictions of other external funding received by the intern, if any. If you would prefer to structure this as a clinical externship for academic credit, we will be happy to assist in any necessary paperwork from your school.

Application Deadline 

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply by Tuesday, March 11 to ensure consideration of your application. Please include a resume and cover letter with your application. Following this deadline, we will continue to review applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.  

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace

At American Oversight, we value and strive to hire, develop, and grow a diverse and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunity employer, and encourage applications from all individuals without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws. We strongly encourage individuals to apply for opportunities at American Oversight even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.