As the advocacy intern, Carter is responsible for assisting ACLU staff during the South Dakota legislative session, tracking the movement of the ACLU’s priority legislation, monitoring committee hearings and floor sessions, and facilitating communication with stakeholders, legislators, and coalition partners. His interest in the ACLU began when worked as a page for the South Dakota Legislature during high school. Since then, he’s continued to pursue advocacy and volunteer opportunities with the ACLU. In 2023, Carter was a member of the ACLU’s Youth Legislative Advocacy Committee.
Prior to his internship with the ACLU, Carter interned for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. There he worked alongside policy experts across the globe on international human rights, congressional affairs, and media freedom.
Carter is a senior political science and strategic communication major at the University of South Dakota, where he is completing his undergraduate honors thesis studying media censorship policy in Europe during the 20th and 21st century. He will graduate in May.
Outside of school and work, Carter is active in Vermillion and USD as a community advocate. He enjoys volunteering with local political campaigns and different nonprofit organizations. At USD, Carter has served in many different leadership roles in the Student Government Association, Charlie’s Cupboard, and the First-Generation Student Organization.
As one of four boys from a sheep farm outside Woonsocket, S.D., Carter knows how to make sure his voice is heard no matter who is in the room.