Ryan Nicol
With students facing a lack of summer options due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Broward Supervisor of Elections candidate Chad Klitzman said he’s recruited nearly 70 interns to help navigate his campaign as it goes virtual.
The announcement comes as Klitzman secured another endorsement in his bid, garnering support from the Broward Young Democrats.
Klitzman says he’s recruited 67 interns so far and is still hiring. That group is made up of college students, Broward County public school students and recent college graduates.
Those interns will help Kiltzman’s voter outreach efforts, aiming to both inform voters about his campaign as well as vote-by-mail options available during the COVID-19 crisis.
“As soon as the pandemic hit, I knew students would be scrambling for meaningful virtual summer opportunities and the demand was staggering,” Klitzman explained.
“At a time when innovative and fresh leadership is needed, this highly structured experience will give young people the tools needed to manage campaigns and run for office themselves. My campaign, which has been unique in its push for voter education and outreach, will also be in a position to conduct unprecedented outreach — in multiple languages — and get thousands of voters signed up to vote by mail in light of COVID-19. I have personally called nearly 20,000 voters over the last two months, and I expect to communicate with ten times that amount through this program.”
Klitzman’s campaign said half of the recruits are from South Florida. In total, individuals have been pulled from 19 states and Washington, D.C. to work on the campaign.
The new hires will meet for six hours per week of virtual instruction, and will be expected to work 20 hours per week on research and voter outreach.
The campaign says the instruction will include “guest lecturers” including from former members of the Barack Obama administration. Klitzman secured an internship at the White House Office of Management and Administration during Obama’s presidency.
Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson has also endorsed Klitzman’s campaign.
The Broward Young Democrats are also adding their endorsement according to the group’s president, Clay Miller.
“The Broward Young Democrats are proud to support Chad Klitzman to be our next Supervisor of Elections,” Miller said.
“Chad exemplifies every quality that Young Democrats should stand for — big ideas, determination, and compassion. His internship program is a shining example of how to elevate young voices to positions of leadership!”
Klitzman is an attorney who wrote and co-produced the Netflix movie “Candy Jar.” He is one of six candidates competing in the 2020 contest.
