Announcing Election Urgent Care

Newsrooms can now sign up for free resources to enhance their coverage of the post-election period in the U.S. Learn more.

Supporting journalists in responding to critical election information needs.

Get Election SOS Resources, Including Articles, Guides & Workshops

5 engagement lessons journalists can learn from the Democrats’ presidential campaign

By Massarah Mikati Analyses and hypotheses have been rolling in nonstop since this year’s presidential election results were finalized, with particular focus on what went wrong with the Democratic Party’s…

December Coverage Roadmap for Elections Aftermath

By Pam Fessler, The Elections Group and former NPR News correspondent It turns out that the big surprise this year was a fairly smooth election. Expectations that the country would…

1 Week to Go! Election Day Coverage Roadmap for Reporters

By Pam Fessler, The Elections Group and former NPR News correspondent Election Day is Nov. 5, but we all know the election began weeks ago. More than 42 million voters had cast…

Election officials huddle around a table as absentee ballots are processed at the central counting board, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

LOCALIZE IT: Vote-counting takes time. Here’s what you need to know to prebunk misinformation

By The Associated Press EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS: One of the hallmarks of American elections is that there’s a lot of waiting. The 2020 presidential contest, for example, wasn’t called until four…

Our 2024 Scenario Planning Guide

Back by popular demand, here is the Election SOS Scenario Planning Guide for 2024. This guide illuminates a variety of challenges that journalists and newsroom leaders are contending with, and…

Election Also SOS Offers

The Citizens Agenda

If you're looking to create more voter-centric reporting that answers the public's most pressing questions, download our Citizens Agenda guide and find inspiration from newsrooms using this tested process.

Get the Guide

Voter Guide Training

A self-paced, five-day email course to help you build a guide with your audience in mind. You'll receive one email each weekday with activities to help you create a successful strategy.

Extremism Coverage Prep

Concrete guidance for newsrooms on assessing risks, digital safety and editorial policies before covering extremists. Sign up to access videos with experts and other critical resources on extremism reporting.

Trusted Elections Expert Network

In partnership with The American Press Institute, Election SOS curated this searchable network of federal, state and topic-centric elections experts for journalists to contact as sources and for support.

Connect with an expert

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We are adding new resources all the time. To stay up to date on story ideas, expert sources, training and best-practices, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of the page.

Election SOS offers training & resources for journalists, connecting them to best practices, resources and support around election coverage.

Participation is free of charge thanks to the generous support of our funders.

What participants say

"After working with and researching Hearken as well as surveying many of the newsrooms it has worked with, I can say definitively that the company is driving important change in the industry, especially in terms of making journalism—and journalists—more relevant to their communities. Their paradigm around engagement as relationships seems critical to (re-)building trust with mainstream news content."

– Dr. Sue Robinson / University of Wisconsin-Madison

"This training provided WSHU with the needed framework to really understand the work that we need to do, how we want to accomplish the work and a way to communicate the change and importance of this work to our different stakeholders."

– Rima Dael, General Manager, WSHU Public Radio

"Election SOS is helping us reassess how our election coverage impacts the communities we serve. Plus, the opportunity to workshop and share information and best practices with other news organizations has been invaluable."

– Carlos Virgen / Digital News Director, The Day

"The Engaged Elections training is a worthwhile investment to guide a newsroom in being more open and engaged with readers, viewers or listeners. Especially at a time when trust is being questioned and many Americans are disinterested in the news."

– Rhonda Prast, Assistant Managing Editor, Las Vegas Review-Journal

"The Engaged Elections Training really gave our organization the space to think through our elections coverage in a thoughtful and nuanced way."

– Kate Weibezahl, Senior Engagement Coordinator, PBS SoCal | KCET

"I would recommend the Engaged Elections Training to newsrooms who are ready to not just listen but partner with their audience to provide more user-friendly elections coverage and participation. This cohort helped me understand the limitations of just publishing bilingual voter guides and start brainstorming how to engage our audience in advance."

– Fátima Ramírez, Executive Director of Acción Latina, El Tecolote

"The training from Election SOS has solidified our plan for election coverage in an actionable, engaging way. The resources, guest speakers, and fellow cohort members have been key to helping me answer questions and think through roadblocks."

– Annelise McGough / Growth and Engagement Editor, Grist

"The Engaged Elections Training helped us think a bit deeper about how we serve our BIPOC communities. Even though we are a newsroom focused on systematically oppressed communities in South Carolina, we still gained insight into how to be more intentional with election coverage to that it serves the community rather than adding to the noise that often arises during elections that doesn't address policy and its impact."

– Fernando Soto, CEO & Publisher, Nuestro Estado

Election SOS

Election SOS is managed by the consultancy Hearken and is principally funded by The Democracy Fund and the Trusted Elections Fund Project.

Learn more about the Election SOS team on our About Page.