Los Angeles for Democracy Vouchers (LADV) is seeking volunteer policy organizers to help research, write, and produce our study into political reforms in Los Angeles. If you are interested in reforms to make LA City government more equitable, accountable, and democratic, we invite you to apply.

About LA for Democracy Vouchers

LADV was founded in 2021 to advocate for the creation of a “democracy vouchers” program in LA City, in which every Angeleno would be given vouchers to donate to local campaigns. LADV also advocates for other pro-democracy policies such as ranked-choice voting, redistricting reform, and more.

About our study

Presently, no study exists looking holistically at political reform in LA. We believe a holistic study is needed to (1) analyze how multiple reforms would interact and complement or diminish one other; and (2) engage more activists and ordinary citizens by presenting a vision for more substantial change than a single reform could create. What's more, political reform intersects deeply with racial justice, gender equality, environmentalism, the labor movement, and other communities of interest that rely on the political system to achieve their objectives. Our study will go beyond the typical “good governance” framing to connect to these other issue areas.

We will study six reforms: ranked choice voting, proportional representation, democracy vouchers, banning political spending by foreign-influenced corporations, redistricting reform, and establishing a charter review commission. For each reform, we will identify specific policy changes and how they fit into LA’s existing governmental structure, detail connections with other issues areas, list remaining questions that activists should answer alongside coalition partners, and produce accessible “policy kits,” graphics, and videos. For examples of our past policy work, here's our latest LADV report Elevating More Voices on campaign finance in LA and here's examples of policy kits from our work with the Democracy Policy Network on democracy vouchers, legal aid for all, restorative justice, alternative voting methods, social wealth funds, and youth decarceration.

About the position

LADV is looking for a policy-minded, democratically-spirited policy organizers interested in political reform. Applicants should have strong research and writing skills, a history of advocacy, and some experience with democracy policy. The policy organizer will lead one policy area (such as establishing a charter review commission), scour the movement for related reports and precedents — and pick up the phone to speak with experts and practitioners — and help as needed on other components of the study. This is self-directed, remote work with routine check-ins. We are seeking 10 hours of work per week over the course of six months, but can offer flexibility to account for school/work schedules.

How to apply

To apply, please submit your application below.

We are processing applications on a rolling basis, but our hard deadline is April 29. If you have any questions about the position, please contact Tom Latkowski at tom@lademocracyvouchers.org.