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It's Election Day, which means it's the last day to vote if you haven't! Find information about where and how to vote where you live here: https://www.nass.org/can-I-vote
It's also time to look back at some of our election coverage! Yup, this is a thread.
It's also time to look back at some of our election coverage! Yup, this is a thread.
In April, I wrote about the strains that came along to the massive increase in absentee ballots in Ohio's primary. That foreshadowed some of the issues election officials had to confront in ramping up mail ballots this year: https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ohios-mail-in-ballot-brouhaha-a-sign-of-coming-trouble/
The poll worker shortage, which hadn't received much national attention when I wrote this, has turned out to be one of the most important storylines of the election and states and outside groups have since put incredible efforts into recruitment/solutions. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/democracy-2020/elderly-workers-run-elections-but-covid-19-will-keep-many-home/
Trump's broadsides at mail ballots get a lot of the attention, but this piece and data analysis on a California special election showed he was willing to falsely characterize other types of election changes that didn't favor him or his preferred candidate. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/democracy-2020/trump-called-this-election-rigged-data-indicates-otherwise/
During the coronavirus-plagued primary season, some of the sharpest reductions in numbers of polling places — and longest lines — came in cities that, like Columbia, were home to many voters of color. We looked at the data, and the burdens. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/in-south-carolina-a-peek-at-covid-19s-impact-on-elections-polling-place/
A wonderful look at the pressures election administrators are dealing with this year from my colleagues @ZachFB @joewertz, on the ground in Iowa. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/iowa-election-dress-rehearsal/
When historic floods overwhelmed East Baton Rouge parish before the 2016 election, more Black voters had to contend with polling place changes than white, all while dealing with displacement and an information gap. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/first-came-the-floods-then-came-the-polling-place-changes/
Election officials have amazed me with their creativity and resilience this year. W/ @mattvas, this piece highlighted some of the best. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/running-election-lessons-pandemic-10-steps/
It took more than 1,200 records requests and an immense amount of work, but @publicintegrity/ @pewstates Stateline built a first-of-its-kind public dataset of polling place locations for past elections, shedding new light on closures and consolidations. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/data-release-sheds-light-on-past-polling-place-changes/
It's been a litigious year, with hundreds of lawsuits over who will be permitted to vote and how. @ZachFB looked at the lawsuits, and the money behind them. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/trump-reshaped-courts-lawsuits-limit-voting/
In this highly charged election year, reports of voter intimidation and harassment have so far been sporadic, and much has gone smoothly. But election officials have been preparing more aggressively. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/election-officials-prepare-for-voter-intimidation-threat/
Native American voters face more burdens than most. @mattvas and I looked at one tribe's fight to restore its early voting location. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/how-one-tribe-is-fighting-to-vote-early/
Local election officials begged Congress for money, but it was big donors like @Schwarzenegger who gave private dollars to offset election costs. @mattvas and I looked at the implications. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/wealthy-donors-spend-big-to-expand-voting-access-arnold-schwarzenegger/
Iowa has hundreds fewer polling places than it did in 2016, and many are concentrated in urban areas that tend Democratic. w/ @hellokatepayne/ @npr. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/iowa-polling-places-closing-covid-swing-state/
In one poor, majority black rural NC county, finding polling places is a struggle, and this year, they have nearly 25 percent fewer than in 2016. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/rural-county-struggles-to-find-polling-places/
Finally, my colleagues, led by @mattderienzo, looked at the obstacles ot voting in all 50 states: https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/ballotboxbarriers/50-states-of-voting-disenfranchisement/
