FairVote Interns
Erin Ellis, Communications
Erin Ellis is an undergraduate at Cornell University, majoring in Government and minoring in International Relations. At Cornell, she is involved in a number of media-oriented roles: she is a staff writer for the news section of the Cornell Daily Sun, and she assists the Cornell Center for Wildlife Conservation with online outreach work. Last year, she spent the summer in Jordan, where she served as an external relations intern for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). At FairVote, Erin serves as part of the communications team; she will also develop comparisons of US election procedures with those abroad, drawing on her international relations coursework and her upbringing in Africa and the Middle East.
Jared Gay, Communications
Jared Gay is studying communications with an emphasis in public relations at Brigham Young University. He assists FairVote's communications team by implementing communications and social media, developing blog content, and working closely with the fellows at FairVote in advocacy work. Jared has spent the last two years actively involved in the BYU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America and is serving as this year’s chapter president.
Warren Hays, Research
Warren Hays holds a BA in English. He is working toward a Master of Public Policy from the University of Maryland, where his academic focus is International Security and Economic Policy. Warren has taught fourth grade for a year in Colombia, traveled to Morocco for a course in its politics and society, and researched electoral trends in India and turn-of-the-century America. At FairVote, Warren works on the Dubious Democracy project along with internationally-focused election projects.
Jessica Heller, Legal
Jessica Heller earned her Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in 2011, and is currently working towards a juris doctorate at New York University School of Law. At NYU, Jessica has been involved with the Public Housing Project, representing clients in danger of eviction before the New York City Housing Authority, as well as the HIV Law Society. She joined FairVote in the summer of 2012 as a legal intern, focusing specifically on the National Popular Vote Plan and a Right to Vote amendment.
Devin McCarthy, Research
Devin McCarthy is a recent graduate of Georgetown University, where he majored in History and Government. For the past year, Devin worked as a research assistant at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He is interning at FairVote as a researcher and will be working on projects on the history of the Electoral College and with FairVote's proportional representation program.
Stephen Mortellaro, Legal
Stephen Mortellaro is a rising 3L at The George Washington University Law School. He graduated in 2010 from the University of Central Florida, where he majored in Psychology and was heavily involved in campus organizing, lobbying, and Student Government. He hopes to pursue a career in civil rights law and engage in community lawyering after graduating law school. At FairVote, Stephen is helping develop amicus curiae briefs and legal memoranda to support proportional representation and instant runoff voting, assisting draft FairVote’s model legislation and policy guide, and working on local advocacy projects.
Kathy Pahel, Learning Democracy
Kathy Pahel is an undergraduate at the University of California, Davis majoring in Political Science with a minor in Education. She is involved in multiple areas of UC Davis’s Campus Recreation department and spent the last year teaching the gardening elective at West Sacramento Early College Prep Charter School. At FairVote, she serves as part of the communications team and will be developing resources for our Learning Democracy Program.
Joe Witte, Research
Joe Witte joined FairVote January 2012 to support research projects, including choice voting. He is a recent Public Policy Analysis graduate from Pomona College, and plans to continue his education with research work experience and a Master's in Public Policy. Prior to joining FairVote, Joe has pursued a wide range of research and analysis work experiences, including an internship at the Los Angeles Unified School District Research Unit and work as a proctor in Professor John Hibbing's biopolitics lab at the University of Nebraska. Joe is also as a literacy tutor working for for award-winning SES provider The Literacy Lab.