AALDEF seeking interns for Fall 2006

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is seeking interns for Fall 2006. Voting Rights Interns will work on election monitoring, voter registration, and research on election reform, among other things. Sounds like a great way to make a difference in the upcoming elections. Read on for the official announcement.

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund

FALL INTERNSHIPS 2006
DEFENDING ASIAN AMERICAN VOTING RIGHTS
for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Law Students

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans through litigation, advocacy, and community education. Fall internships are available for college, graduate, and law students in AALDEF’s Voting Rights Program.

In prior elections, Asian Americans faced a series of barriers in exercising their right to vote; for example, ballots have been mistranslated listing Democratic candidates as Republicans and vice versa, lack of interpreters, denial of language assistance, rude and hostile poll workers. Then, when the news media reported on election returns and the vote by specific groups, Asian Americans were overlooked. AALDEF’s Voting Rights Program aims to enhance the political participation of Asian Americans and guard against anti-Asian voter discrimination.

Voting Rights Interns work on the following:

Election monitoring to ensure Asian Americans are treated fairly at the polls and to document violations of the Voting Right Act and federal Constitution. The Voting Rights Act mandates the availability of Chinese and Korean language assistance and forbids anti-Asian voter discrimination
Work with pro bono lawyers at corporate law firms and volunteer law students to inspect poll sites for compliance with the Voting rights Act and Help American Vote Act.
Coordinate a survey of Asian American voters to document the use of bilingual ballots and report on Asian American voting patterns. The survey will be taken at poll sites in several poll sites across the nation. Interns will recruit, train, and supervise volunteers, as well as coordinate logistics at three dozen polling sites.
Register new voters after citizenship swearing-in ceremonies.
Conduct research and advocacy on local, state and federal election reform proposals.

Description of Fall Internships:

Supervision: Interns are supervised by attorneys through regular meetings and trainings.

Compensation: These internships are not paid positions, but academic credit, college work-study, or a clinical placement can be arranged.

Hours: Interns work anywhere between 12 to 25 hours per week in the office.

Duration: The internship usually follows the semester, commencing with the start of classes or (end of August/ beginning of September) and goes to the first or second week of December.

To Apply:
Bilingual ability is helpful but not required and languages (if any) should be stated in the resume
Applicants should also state the number of hours they are looking to contribute per week and a schedule I possible.

Send a resume and cover letter to:

Voting Rights Fall Intern Search
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
99 Hudson Street, 12th floor
New York, New York 10013-2815
fax: 212-966-4303

Email: info@aaldef.org