The Election SOS newsletter is a dedicated resource for journalists covering the 2020 election. Here, we update you on our upcoming programming, share our favorite election-related stories, and provide critical resources to help with your coverage as we move closer to November.
Second email of the week?
Elections are happening now, so for the next couple of weeks, we wanted to provide you with better support, and that's why we have temporarily increased the frequency of this newsletter to twice a week. In addition to Monday and Special Editions, you will receive a second newsletter on Thursday with more resources, training, pitches, and the latest election news.
Election Coverage Checklist: Putting the Audience First
At Election SOS, we believe that democracy must be preserved and newsrooms have the responsibility to meaningfully listen and respond to the communities they serve. Here is a checklist for journalists to use at each stage of the reporting process to evaluate how well your election coverage puts the audience’s needs first.
Our pitch database is here to provide you with fresh story ideas every day! Spread the word and bookmark the page to always have great audience-first ideas at your editorial meetings.
Exclusive VICE News analysis shows a 20% cut in election locations nationwide, and much deeper cuts in California, Maryland, Kentucky, New Jersey, Nevada and North Dakota. Almost 21,000 Election Day polling places have been eliminated, a drastic dip in voting locations driven by a heavy shift to mail voting, coronavirus-related consolidations, cost-cutting measures, and voter suppression.
As the pandemic keeps older poll workers from volunteering, younger women continue a legacy of being on the front lines of elections. In just a few months, more than 670,000 people have signed up through the site to begin the process of becoming poll workers.
As long as the necessary steps happen by key dates, there will be no real delays. So avoid amplifying the perception of delays in your reporting simply because results might take longer to be announced than we’re used to. Check out this infographic with some key federal dates that apply across the board.
What should journalists do when the polls close on Election Night? Our friends at VotingWorks, a non-partisan non-profit focused on voting technology, have put together two guides that delve into the election process once the polls close and ensuring a candidate actually won through risk-limiting audits.
A useful guide for journalists on what language to use and how to frame their reporting to reinforce the validity of a voting process. This regularly updated document includes tips like use “delays” and “confusion” carefully; frame disputes over the election process as problems for democracy, not candidates; and more.
In the first 2020 presidential debate, Joe Biden said "antifa is not an organization." There has also been increasing confusion over what it means to be anti-fascist. This article breaks down what it means.
Campaigns for write-in voting are more successful with state and local elections than national ones, though write-in voting for presidential elections is on the rise.
Answers to frequently asked questions about registering to vote and casting an absentee ballot. A guide for Michigan voters on what they need to know to make their ballot count.
Election Relief:
It's been a long week! Here is a little something that IS NOT election related to brighten up your Thursday.
The Phoenix Zoo shared footage of stingrays going “underwater trick-or-treating.”🎃
Election SOS Switchboard
Do you want to connect with other journalists covering elections to get tips, ideas, and share your insights? Then take 2 minutes right now and sign up for theElection SOS Switchboard. Did we mention that Hearken Consulting Team is also available to answer your questions?
