People interested in DC policy work sometimes wonder whether certain activities might make them look partisan. If you are worried about this, it’s worth being mindful of activities that can—intentionally or not—be interpreted as politically coded. For example, some aspects of your background that can be interpreted as partisan might shape your future career opportunities in policy or politics.
Activities that can tag you as partisan include:
- Working or interning for a partisan organization (e.g. congressional offices, political campaigns, partisan think tanks, the White House, or political appointee roles)
- Engaging with political groups (e.g. involvement with a political party group on campus, especially if your name and affiliation are mentioned online, such as in a student newspaper)
- Selecting a party affiliation when registering to vote, which is made public by all states
- Donating to a political candidate, even just a few dollars (with few exceptions, political donations will create a searchable public record, e.g. see these databases)
- Publicly writing or posting about political topics (e.g. on Twitter or a personal blog)
Signaling a clear political affiliation can have both upsides and downsides. On the positive side, partisan signals can help you get (but are usually not necessary for) certain opportunities affiliated with your party by demonstrating your engagement and alignment. For example, leading a party’s college chapter or volunteering for a political campaign might increase your chances of getting a congressional internship with Members of that party.
On the negative side, a partisan affiliation can limit your future options in the policy/political worlds by making it harder to switch. If you’re affiliated with one party, it can be difficult to (ever) pursue career opportunities (e.g. internships, jobs, political appointments, running for office) associated with the other party.
Whether you should avoid a partisan affiliation depends on your personal beliefs and professional goals. If you have strong partisan convictions, avoiding the above signals is less important since you’re less likely to pursue future opportunities with the opposing party. Carefully consider the partisan signals you’re sending, but don’t be alarmed by them—they will fade in importance over time, and many policy employers don’t care much or at all about them.
