Platform provides state-specific guides and a speakers bureau available for factual, rapid reporting.(Sept. 30, 2024) – To support journalists with the unique job of covering close and contested elections, The Election Reformers Network (ERN) convened a distinguished panel of 10 election law authorities, election officials, media experts, and others September 24th to launch the “Election Overtime Project” – a set of resources including state-specific legal guides, national and local media briefings, a speaker’s bureau to connect journalists with expert commentary for local and national coverage, and litigation monitoring. The program focuses on Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
The event, “Journalists: Preparing for Election Overtime,” featured election, democracy, and policy experts, including elected officials and presidential legal counsel. They included Democrats, Republicans, and independents. “Journalists rarely have time to go through a 400-page election policy manual of procedures, regulations, and statutes when they are on deadline,” said ERN Vice President Heather Balas. “So, we talked with reporters about what they needed and collected the relevant legal details for close or contested races. We believe that sound news coverage of the election process – not just the horse race – is crucial to the future of our democratic republic. So, with humility, we offer our support to the hardworking election reporters of this nation.” Over 150 members of the press and public took part in the online forum, the first in a series of focused media briefings as Election Day approaches. “The Election Overtime information is organized around the three pillars that support the trustworthiness of close and contested elections – transparency, verification, and judicial review,” said ERN Executive Director Kevin Johnson. “This is not the Vatican, where everyone stands outside and waits to see if white smoke emerges. Candidates have agency in our elections. They and their observers are part of the process, and voters need to understand that better.” Jason Carter, Chair of The Carter Center Board of Trustees and grandson of President Jimmy Carter, has observed international elections, and stressed journalists' critical role in setting the stage for a peaceful transfer of power. “I’ve seen elections in a variety of countries and contexts, and I have also seen that when the press works well, informing about the elections in advance, it helps to drive home how elections operate. That simple educational process can dramatically reduce the risk of political violence while increasing the ability for voters to respect the outcomes,” Carter said. “What we’ve observed in elections worldwide, is that when there is an election irregularity, stories about what went wrong can travel like wildfire. So, the question is, how can reporters sort that out, and provide the most accurate information voters need? This Election Overtime program is part of that answer.” Ben Ginsberg, legal counsel to four of the last six Republican presidential nominees, offered a related point. “The key for reporters will be demanding evidence for any allegations made. Journalists need to ask repeatedly, ‘What’s the hard, solid evidence?’” Ginsberg also urged all election reporters to get to know the elections officials in their areas, especially in counties where races are predicted to be close. Panelist Kim Wyman, former Washington Secretary of State, cautioned against running with unsubstantiated assumptions or allegations and exercising patience with election officials. “Mistakes in elections do happen, but don’t always believe the rhetoric that there was bad intent behind them,” Wyman said. “In my 30-plus years of doing this, election results have never been final on election night. The people calling the races then are media outlets – and that can lead to false assumptions.” Rashad Mahmood, veteran journalist and executive director of the New Mexico Local News Fund, offered perspectives for fellow reporters on covering close and contested elections. “You know, if you had asked people ahead of the 2020 election, what are some of the problems that you’re likely to see? A county commissioner refusing to certify a legal election was not on people’s bingo cards. And that’s why having these resources ahead of time is so important.” Mahmood continued: “As journalists, we need to be devoted to the truth and to helping people understand the underlying dynamics, laws and ground truth of what’s really going on. We need to be familiar with the law and processes so if someone’s blowing smoke and not being accurate, we are comfortable calling that out because we have detailed knowledge.” Recognizing that reporters will also have to understand the key role that election observation plays in our country, and around the globe, expert Carmen López provided key context. Her firm supports communities to build a representative and accessible democracy. “Election observation occurs in every state in this country and in hundreds of countries around the world. Observers adhere to the principles of non-interference, fact-based intervention, and reporting, and their attention is on the process, not on the outcome of the election.” The two final speakers, Ari Mittleman, Keep Our Republic executive director, and David Nevins, co-founder of the governance-and-democracy-focused publication The Fulcrum, offered specific resources for journalists from their organizations. Mittleman urged the audience to review the joint, bipartisan letter signed by governors across the nation urging states to certify electors by the federal deadline. Nevins encouraged reporters to utilize a dedicated Election Overtime series of articles and editorials published at The Fulcrum, which are available for reprint. He also invited reporters to send in their own national election reporting on the rule of law, for potential reprint in the same collection. -- Note: The Election Overtime Team will be your reliable support system throughout the election season.
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