Internships

The ASDC helps build strong State Democratic Parties in order to elect Democrats at all levels of office. To accomplish this goal, the ASDC focuses on building political infrastructure within all 57 State Parties, acting as a service organization to support and educate its members and equip those members with the tools and skills they need to succeed.

The Civic Engagement and Voter Protection Department is concerned with safeguarding the right to vote by ensuring fair, accessible elections. To further their mission, the department works closely with local, state, and national partners to implement voter education and voting rights programming and strategies.

The Coalitions and Community Engagement Team is tasked with implementing a comprehensive outreach and engagement strategy to reach, engage, and mobilize key stakeholders, communities, and coalitions in support of the DNC’s mission to win elections and build Democratic power. This will include, for example, specific, targeted initiatives for key constituencies, such as Black Native American, Millennial, Latino, AAPI, and rural voters.

The Communications Department creates and drives the Democratic Party’s message across the press, democratic ecosystem, and with the public. Our team works with both national and local media to reach the American people, partners with surrogates to ensure our message is in front of communities across the country, and holds Republicans accountable through our rapid response operation.

The DEI Team is engaged in efforts to foster a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace where staff are seen, heard, and belong. The team collaborates internally with staff and externally with Sister Committees to build systems and launch initiatives to ensure our staff and contractors are reflective of those who support the Democratic Party.

The Finance Department oversees the major donor fundraising operations of the DNC and is partially responsible for raising the funds that fuel Democratic Party activities in all 57 states and territories. Through scaled donor programs, the Finance division works to identify and sustain party contributions.

The Human Resources (HR) Team is responsible for ensuring all DNC personnel have necessary access to the appropriate tools and systems needed to be successful in their role. The HR team works on recruiting, training, processing payroll and benefits, providing guidance for staff during the entire employee lifecycle, and ensuring all DNC processes and policies are legally compliant.

The Mobilization Team harnesses online interaction and participation and marries them with offline grassroots engagement to elect Democratic candidates across the country. This team manages all of the Democratic Party’s digital communications work, including social media, video, design, and digital organizing with campaigns and state parties.

The Mobilization Team is also responsible for the DNC’s grassroots fundraising via email, SMS, telemarketing, and direct mail while also communicating directly with donors about what their investments help the DNC do.

The DNC National Training Department delivers training to operatives in the field, activists and volunteers, state party leaders and staff, students and youth organizers, candidates and campaign staff, constituency caucus members and community leaders, and so many more.

Since its inaugural year in 2018, the DNC National Training Department has expanded the existing training department from four training programs to a robust department with 20 independent training programs and counting!

In 2024, the National Training Department trained over 10,000 Party leaders, staff, and activists. In 2025, we are working to expand our programming even further, planning in-person programming for emerging leaders and organizers across the nation. Through this vast expansion of training programs, the new National Training Department is building and strengthening the Democratic Party infrastructure to ensure electoral success for years to come.

The Chair’s Office is responsible for assisting, staffing, and scheduling the chair in all of his or her DNC-related responsibilities. It tracks correspondence addressed to the chair, maintains the appropriate files, and provides coordinated administrative support to the chair.

The Office of the Executive Director is responsible for carrying out the day-to-day business of the DNC. Executive Director Roger Lau serves with Deputy Executive Directors Libby Schneider and Jessica Wright.

The Office of the Secretary and Party Affairs (OSPA) oversees the institutional affairs of the Democratic National Committee, including maintaining the party rules. The office fosters engagement among the 450+ National Members by providing support and consistent communication.

As the party’s official record keeper, the office maintains the DNC’s membership lists and coordinates archival storage of the party’s records. Additionally, the Office of the Secretary and Party Affairs is responsible for meetings of the full membership, Executive Committee, and Standing Committees.

Leading into the National Conventions, the department is responsible for planning and carrying out the delegate selection process, certifying National Convention delegates, planning the convention standing committees meetings, and overseeing the National Convention voting operation. This office is also responsible for compiling and publishing the official proceedings after each convention.

The Office of Strategy and Innovation (OSI) serves as a “strategic center” to ensure the development of Chair Martin’s 10-Year Majority Party Strategy. OSI supports DNC leadership and staff in the development of short- and long-term campaign planning, including strengthening infrastructure, voter contact, messaging, and organizing programs.

The DNC Operations Department is responsible for the management and monitoring of the committee’s day-to-day business and legal activities. The department ensures that the DNC’s operations are efficient and effective and that the committee resources are managed in a way that allows for the implementation of the organization’s plans as determined by the chair, executive director, and senior leadership team. Working with this department, you’ll help support the travel, contracts, events, facilities, and general operations teams.

The Political & Organizing Department develops and implements the coordinated campaign strategy on behalf of the DNC with Democratic candidates at federal, state, and local levels. The department also coordinates the interaction between the party, state parties, and allied organizations, and grassroots leaders across the country.

The Research Department is responsible for fact-checking Republicans and defending Democrats. They hold Republicans accountable by tracking their events, monitoring social media, and searching in video archives. This important data helps shape messaging and provides content for ads, press releases, social media, speeches, and debates.

The Technology Department provides the DNC, its sister committees, and campaigns with the data, tools, and expertise to create data-driven solutions and strategy. The department is responsible for designing, building, and supporting the party’s data resources and tools, headquarters IT, critical campaign and voter protection applications, and cybersecurity and disinformation programs.

The Vetting & Compliance Department is responsible for evaluating and approving any person, vendor, donor, or location that is going to be associated with the DNC. The department also approves potential employees and staff members before they are hired.

The War Room is a combination of our Communications, Research, and Mobilization Departments that modernizes our rapid response operation. The War Room broadens Democrats’ reach into new information spaces to drive aggressive daily messaging to counter the Trump administration, leveraging creative tactics and putting Republicans on defense.

Applicants must be 18 years of age on or before the first day of the internship and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (two-to-four year institution). It is highly recommended that applicants complete at least one full term prior to submitting an application.
• Graduated from an undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (two-to-four year institution) no more than two years before the first day of the internship.
• A veteran of the United States Armed Forces who possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent and has served on active duty, for any length of time, in the two years preceding the first day of the internship.

Applicants interested in the Voter Protection Internship Program must have a Bachelor’s Degree and be enrolled in a postsecondary higher education institution. J.D. students are preferred. Please see the All-In-One Voting Resource Guide for more information.

The DNC performs many roles within Democratic politics, the most important of which is working to elect Democrats to all levels of government, from school board to the Oval Office.

Intern responsibilities and tasks vary depending on department, but all interns play an important role. While all interns will perform some administrative tasks (making copies, filing, etc.), the work you do is vital to the day-to-day functions and department projects DNC staff are working on. For example, communication interns collect daily news clips, draft and format press releases, and monitor television appearances by Democratic officials.

The dress code is business casual.

The DNC expects all interns to be Democrats and registered voters.

We expect interns to commit to working 20 hours per week.

The DNC Internship program provides a stipend of $3,000 per term.

No, there are no commuter/housing benefits.

Interns can receive scholarships from their college or university. However, scholarships must be approved by the DNC before an intern starts their internship.

Yes. College credit varies by your institution’s protocols — confirm the requirements with your academic institution. The Internship Program Coordinator will complete any initial forms required, and once the internship begins, all other required forms will be the responsibility of their assigned supervisor.

Yes, there are opportunities to work with professional staff on resume building, voter outreach, and field organizing. With a large team of working professionals at your fingertips, you are welcome to work with your supervisor on networking and in other departments of interest.

The response to the essay question should be no more than 500 words in length. Do not exceed the word limit.

Yes, you are welcome to apply. Please note the official dates for the program above.

Placement in a department is determined by a number of factors, including the needs of the department, the applicant’s skill set and availability, and noted preferences. Applicants have the opportunity to list their top three department choices as part of their application; however, there is no guarantee that selected interns will be placed in their preferred department.