By Sheeva Azma

Scientists, science communicators, science-adjacent professionals, and science enthusiasts, Sheeva here. I spent the past seven months working to elect Democrats up and down the ballot (including the Harris-Walz ticket) in Arizona. I also spent some time volunteering for the Nikki Haley campaign.

As of publishing this post, Arizona votes are still being counted. Despite various defeats up and down the ballot, there was one significant win: Rep. Ruben Gallego may be headed to the Senate. There, he would serve with Senator Mark Kelly, who I helped elect in 2022.

Needless to say, I emerged from this election cycle with lessons learned. One lesson I re-learned this election cycle was that election years are a slog when you work in politics, and there is always a winner and a loser. It is never glamorous and, whether you win or lose, there is always more work to do.

I also realized that most people working in science don’t realize that their skills transfer well to working on political campaigns.

One of our goals here at Fancy Comma, LLC is to empower students of science at all levels to become involved in the political system. Just look at all these different domains in which scientists can contribute!

That’s why I created a document called “A Scientist’s Guide to US Political Campaign Roles.” It’s available as a free, downloadable PDF. No need to enter your email or jump through any hoops — just right click to download below.

Download this document as a PDF! (If you’re into helping elect members of Congress, but want to involve yourself in policy with your elected lawmakers, you can also check out our guide to Congressional staff positions to help you land a job in the legislative branch!)

See you on the campaign trail!

About Fancy Comma, LLC

Fancy Comma, LLC is a science communications, marketing, and policy firm. Visit us on the web at www.fancycomma.com.