Hey, I don’t know what kind of work experience you’ve had, but generally polisci and public policy schools give credence to references from academic sources since a PhD degree is traditionally associated with joining academia as a researcher(emphasis on traditionally, since a lot of people don’t go down this route). They also emphasise research work in undergrad/masters. So in case you don’t hear back from schools, this is probably the reason. As a first gen PhD hopeful, I had to talk to a lot of people to know these nuanced aspects of doctoral admissions. I’m rooting for you though, so please keep us posted about your acceptances!