Empowering our youth to strengthen our democracy
Students for Voting Justice (SVJ) is a nonpartisan, paid internship program that engages college students in getting out the vote while training them to become the civic leaders of tomorrow
Our interns are primarily recruited from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and DC. This year, we also enrolled interns from LaGuardia Community College in Queens, New York—one of the most diverse communities in the U.S. More than 95% of our interns identify as people of color.
“Fighting for everyone’s voice to be heard will never stop being important to me now.” – Yumtso B., intern
SVJ has two equal goals:
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To increase voting turnout among youth and Black voters in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and (as a 2025 pilot project) New York City.
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To educate and empower college students to become lifelong voters, organizers, and advocates for democracy.
Our Impact
Since its founding in 2020, Students for Voting Justice has provided nearly 800 paid internships and reached over 10 million potential voters through a powerful mix of grassroots and digital outreach. Our interns have:
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Recruited nearly 6,000 volunteers, mostly other college students, to engage in voter outreach.
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Written and mailed more than 350,000 handwritten postcards to voters.
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Made over 300,000 phone calls and sent 850,000 text messages sharing critical information on when, where, and how to vote.
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Reached over 8 million young people on social media with voter motivation and education messages designed by the interns themselves.
Training the Next Generation of Leaders
SVJ interns gain practical political and professional skills by:
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Recruiting and managing volunteers and participating in phone banking.
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Designing social media campaigns that mobilize young voters.
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Participating in workshops on leadership, political organizing, and civic engagement.
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Receiving one-on-one mentoring from volunteer professionals who provide supervision, encouragement, and career coaching.
More than 100 interns have completed our leadership-development program, advancing to roles as team managers and senior team managers.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Our next internship session will focus on the crucial 2026 midterm elections in Georgia and North Carolina, where U.S. Senate seats will be on the ballot and where youth and Black voter turnout could determine Senate control. We plan to enroll at least 100 interns to meet this historic moment.
Who We Are
SVJ is led by volunteer co-founders Claire Ullman and Sandra Radoff. Claire is a political scientist who previously taught at Barnard College and Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. Sandra is a data scientist and former business owner whose passion is political activism.
Students for Voting Justice is proud to be an initiative of the Center for Common Ground, a person-of-color-led 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization committed to empowering voters in communities of color in voter suppression states.
“I liked creating TikToks because I think they are a great way to connect to younger voters who may not know how to vote or its importance. Young voters are a very important population because they are the next adults and their concerns are important, yet they are the biggest group that does not vote.” – Maya M., intern
(c) 2025 Students for Voting Justice is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
and a campaign of the Center for Common Ground