Montana Election Observation Initiative聽
The Mansfield Center is partnering with the Carter Center to implement the Montana Election Observation Initiative (MTEOI). MTEOI, funded by The Carter Center, is a nonpartisan election observation effort designed to increase trust and transparency in elections. The effort is led by and for Montanans. Observers will be trained about relevant laws, procedures, and safeguards in Montana’s electoral process and will verify that those procedures are followed consistently. Nonpartisan election observers represent all voters, do not interfere in the election process, and report what they see. Observers’ findings throughout the state will be aggregated to assess the quality of elections in Montana.
The Carter Center is a nonpartisan not-for-profit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Carter Center has led international election observation efforts for decades and is now engaging in similar efforts here in the U.S. Montana was among the handful of states they selected to participate in this pilot project this year. Since 1989, The Carter Center has observed 124 elections in 40 countries and 3 Native American nations. In addition, 17 expert missions have been conducted in 15 countries. Learn more about The Carter Center’s Democracy Program .
This collaboration builds on the MTEOI’s successful pilot project to monitor the June 4 primary election process. See information about the Missoula pilot in June here: .
This is a great way to get involved in a nonpartisan way, in your own community, for this year's election. If you are interested in being an observer, sign up here: . For more information, visit or email Program Officer Annie Zavitz at annie.zavitz@mso.umt.edu.
Data Clerk
The Carter Center seeks to hire data clerks to support the Montana Election Observation Initiative (MTEOI) conducting citizen observation activities in Montana for the November 5 General Election. Data clerks must be located in or willing to travel to Missoula; The Carter Center cannot compensate data clerks for travel. This position is compensated at a rate of $20 per hour for all time committed, including training. To be considered for these positions, please send a one-page cover letter and resume to montana@cartercenter.org by 06:00 PM MT on Friday, October 11th.
Data Clerk
- Level of Effort:
- Training (Nov 2): Data clerks will be expected to attend a 5-hour training session on Saturday, November 2 at the 老虎机攻略 from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM, with a thirty-minute lunch break.
- Election Day (Nov 5): Election Day will be a high-intensity period, and data clerks are expected to work from approximately 06:30 AM to 09:30 PM with two 30-minute breaks during off-peak voting hours (14 hours total).
- Ballot tabulation and Election Day follow-up (Nov 6): Data clerks are expected to work approximately from 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM to clean ballot tabulation and remaining Election Day data, with two 30-minute breaks (8 hours total).
- General Responsibilities:
- Report directly to the data manager overseeing data analysis for the election observation mission.
- Be the primary point of contact for nonpartisan election observers working in the field. This means receiving inbound queries and placing outbound calls to check in on observers’ progress and well-being.
- Review and validate data as observers submit it from the field.
- Effectively communicate with election observers to correct information.
- As requested, contribute to producing the preliminary statement, including producing graphs, visualizations, and other empirical analyses.
- Ability to travel to the Headwaters Foundation in Downtown Missoula for election day.
- Required and Desired Skills:
- Can take initiative to complete individual tasks that contribute to a broader team effort.
- Must be able to work independently with minimal direct oversight.
- Capable of learning and navigating an online system that collects observer data.
- Comfortable communicating and receiving information over the phone and through text messages.
- Must be able to think creatively and provide innovative solutions to sudden challenges.
- The individual must be able to contribute to team efforts in a fast-paced environment.