Post-voting stories your newsroom should be telling
By Kerrie Vila, Election SOS
Just because we made it through Election Day does not mean we can become complacent. Yes, most of the country has turned its attention back to the COVID-19 crisis gripping our nation and some of the inches on the front page should return to the other urgent reporting and feel-good stories we all need right now, but let’s be clear: the election is not over. There are still important questions to be answered and the democratic process remains under threat.
In order to help newsrooms continue to surface relevant election coverage amidst the noisy news environment, the ElectionSOS team built its Story and Pitch Database. The mission is simple:
Showcase great examples of election coverage for reporters who are on a deadline, searching for inspiration, or just need a bit of a break. All the examples should be easy to turn around while still informing and engaging your audience.
The database is updated daily with potential pitches for a range of coverage options. All of the examples should be able to be reported as print, audio or broadcast stories and be relevant to local or national audiences.
Below, we’re highlighting a few post-voting pitches to consider adapting for your reporting. If you find this helpful let us know with a clap (click the hands icon on the left, or leave a comment), and we’ll start a weekly pitch roundup.
Feel Good Election Stories
Pitch 1: How did the addition of sporting arenas help people vote? What role did the activism of athletes play in turning out or engaging voters?
This is an interesting way to cover the election from a cultural angle. Athletes played a big role in GOTV efforts and used their voices in a unique way this cycle. At the same time, the organizations opened their doors to election officials and created safe socially distant ways to vote. Dig into the impact it had on your area. Did it help less politically-inclined people turn out or motivate new voters?
Example: LAtimes’ “Social Justice Locker Room Election”
Pitch 2: How are local politicians helping support the integrity of the election? or Who are some election officials or volunteers that helped the voting process go smoothly?
In many states local officials are not party affiliated or at least act independently from national parties and play an important role in keeping their constituents calm and reassured in confusing times. It has been a hard year and many government and election officials worked tirelessly to make sure people could vote safely and securely even in a pandemic. Highlight their hard work. Focus on the people, not the problems.
Example: LAL Today’s “Mayor Mutz’s Monthly Moment — A character-building opportunity” and the San Antonio Express-News’ “San Antonio’s super-busy election season, they all ‘call Joe’”
Pitch 3: What risks do election workers face while completing the election during a pandemic?
Even though the voting has stopped, the counting of votes continues in nearly every state, as election administrators tabulate results to present to governors for certification. Counting votes can’t be done remotely, and it requires workers to be in the same room for hours and days on end. Throughout this year, we’ve read a lot about the frontline workers keeping our hospitals, mail routes, and supply chains running during the pandemic. Let’s hear now about the elections frontline workers ensuring that we have a reliable and secure election, of their own health.
Example: Kansas City Star’s “Nearly half of the employees of Jackson County Election Board out sick with COVID-19”
Voting Stories
Pitch 1: What role did Native American voters play in the key swing states?
Native Americans faced numerous barriers to vote by mail. Organizers worked tirelessly to try to change laws, inform their communities and turn out the vote. Other groups are getting a lot of coverage for the ways they organized and swayed the electorate in close races, but Native Americans are often overlooked or ignored even though they are a significant demographic.
Example: The Nevada Independent’s “Tribal Leaders spread head mobilization efforts for untapped Native voters dealing with ‘tyranny of distance among other voting obstacles”
Pitch 2: What were the main concerns from your local voting hotline? How can they be fixed ahead of the next election?
Find out what the voting issues in your area were, how they were solved (or not) and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Another election will be here before we know it, and these problems are not going away unless they’re prioritized.
Example: The Boston Herald’s “Mail-in ballot ‘confusion,’ voter ID laws top list of complaints on Massachusetts voter hotline”
Procedural Stories
Pitch 1: Does Trump need to concede for Biden to become President?
Concession is just a formality, however, the transition will be extremely difficult without Trump acknowledging the election results. The president refusing to concede hurts America’s standing in the world and ultimately hampers Biden’s ability to create a functional transition team, which delays the President-elects ability to govern once in office. On a state or local level you can cover how elected republicans in your area have addressed the issue of concession, because Trump’s party has a duty to make him accept the results.
Example: National Geographic’s “No modern presidential candidate has refused to concede. Here’s why that matters”
Pitch 2: What are election audits and what do they mean for the election outcome?
Audits are common and not cause for concern. They are different from recounts and, in some states, they are automatically done. Explain to your readers what it means for the state to audit election results and how it helps strengthen our democracy. In a time of so much misinformation people actually want to know the nitty gritty of election procedure in a way they never have before. Take the opportunity to teach them!
Example: NBC Los Angeles’ “OC Set to Conduct Ballot Audit of Presidential General Election Results”
Post-Voting Administration Stories
Pitch 1: What triggers a recount in presidential and senate races? How long does the process take?
States have different recount procedures. The laws are confusing, it takes time to go through the courts and get results, and they are expensive to conduct. Georgia announced they are conducting a recount “by-hand;” in Wisconsin the Trump campaign has vowed to ask for a recount; and in other states it is still up in the air. This story is also a good opportunity to explain how much recounts cost, how they’re are funded and how the campaigns raise money after the election is over.
Example: ABC News’ “What happens if recount is ordered in key battleground states?”
Data: National Conference of State Legislature Election Recounts
Pitch 2: What are the important post-election dates and what do they mean for the outcome?
Most people just want the 2020 election to be over. The campaigns will keep battling it out in the courts, but a lot of Americans are fatigued and want to know exactly when they can stop thinking about presidential election laws, the role of the electoral college, and how the Latinx vote in Miami-Dade shifted toward Trump but the suburbs outside Philly gave Biden the edge. They want that information to be boring and meaningless again. Help them understand America’s post-election procedures.
Example: NJ Spotlight’s “Keep track of the most important dates for the 2020 general election”
Have ideas or examples of pitches you want to see? Let our database coordinator Kerrie know at kerrie.vila@wearehearken.com!
If this was helpful, let us know with a clap or a comment.
