By Pam Fessler, The Elections Group and former NPR News correspondent

Voting in this year’s general election will begin as early as Sept. 20, only seven weeks away. Newsrooms have little time left to line up routine election coverage, let alone prepare for what will likely be a flood of unexpected news developments.

It’s already been an exceptionally turbulent election. President Biden upended the Democratic presidential race by dropping his bid for a second term after a dismal debate performance raised questions about his fitness to run. Biden’s decision followed by only one week an assassination attempt against the Republican nominee, former President Trump, who has also been convicted of multiple felonies.

Democrats will meet in Chicago Aug. 19-22 to pick a replacement for Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris appears headed for the nomination.  Also in August, more states hold primaries for down-ballot races, which will determine control of Congress and fill thousands of state and local jobs.

While all this is going on, election administrators are putting the final touches on plans they hope will lead to a smooth vote. Political parties, advocacy groups, nonprofits and — most importantly — voters, will be watching closely after the tumultuous 2020 presidential race, which was conducted during a global pandemic and culminated in an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Continued political turmoil, violence, foreign interference and public distrust are among the many threats that could disrupt the vote.

For the media, the challenge is covering this unfolding story clearly, impartially and in a way that is most helpful to the American public.

Below, we offer tips on where journalists and newsrooms might focus their attention this month and some tools to help them cover the voting beat.

LEARN THE RULES 

It might sound geeky, but you need to know the rules and laws governing how elections are run. These help determine the winner and whether voters are willing to accept the results.  But the rules differ from state to state and can be extremely confusing. Now is a good time to find out what they are. There are numerous guides and resources to help you do that, including state-by-state rundowns produced by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Covering Elections and Voting in 2024 guide from The Elections Group. Almost every state and local election office has a detailed description of their voting procedures on their websites.

• BEWARE.  Election rules can change up to, and even on, Election Day, often as the result of legal challenges. There are resources to help you keep track of those, including the Election Law Blog, run by UCLA law professor Rick Hasen; Democracy Docket, produced by Democratic attorney Marc Elias, and the RNC’s Protect the Vote site . Pay close attention. Court activity can affect an election outcome and will be extremely intense this year.
• STORY IDEAS: What are some of the changes in how voters are able to cast their ballots this year? Why were those changes made and what is the impact? What are some of the legal challenges to existing voting procedures, who’s behind those challenges and what is their goal?

LINE UP YOUR SOURCES  

If you haven’t done so already, this is a good time to get to know your local election official. They can be extremely useful sources but will get much busier in the weeks ahead. Introduce yourself now and find out what they do, how the process works, and who you should talk to in case a controversy or disruption emerges.  Also, tell them how they can help you do your job. Many election officials are not used to working with the media and don’t understand deadlines and the types of information you need. Let them know that you share a similar goal – accurately informing the public. This is also a good time to get a tour of the local election office so you can see how the system works and better explain it to voters.

There are many other election sources you can be developing. Check out the Election SOS Expert Network to start with, and find additional expert networks on the Knight Election Hub. The political parties, campaigns, advocacy groups, nonprofit think tanks, former election officials, voting equipment vendors, and local government officials all follow the elections process closely and can provide valuable information.  As always, verify these sources’ trustworthiness. But don’t ignore those who might spread false information or question the legitimacy of the process. It’s important to understand what these groups and individuals are doing and why. For example, you might want to check out a conservative group called the Election Integrity Network, run by former Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell, which is training dozens of local activist groups to monitor and challenge voting operations around the country. 

• STORY IDEAS: What are local election officials worried about this fall and how do they plan to respond?  Do they have the resources they need? What are outside groups doing to observe or challenge the vote? Are they part of a national network?

WHAT’S BEHIND THE CURTAIN? 

A lot is going on in election offices that will affect what happens on Election Day and is worth keeping an eye on. Doing so will help you develop sources, learn the process and recognize efforts to disrupt the election. It should also give you some good STORY IDEAS, such as:

1. Voter rolls. Election offices are supposed to keep their voter rolls up to date, but it’s a constant challenge. Voters’ names can’t be removed without evidence that the voter has moved, died or otherwise become ineligible. The result is that many invalid names are on the rolls, which has led conservative groups to claim, with little evidence, that this has opened the way to fraud. Some of these groups have been combing through state lists, with plans to challenge voters’ eligibility before or on Election Day.  What are these groups up to, and what are election officials doing to ensure the rolls are as accurate as possible? 
2. Polling sites.  Another challenge for election offices is lining up enough polling sites and figuring out where they should be. The job is getting harder because of security concerns and accessibility requirements. But if there aren’t enough polling places for the number of voters who show up on Election Day, that could lead to long lines, claims of voter suppression and legal challenges. Find out what’s going on in your area and whether it could lead to problems. 
3. Personnel. Many election offices (more than a third, by some estimates) lost top officials after the difficult 2020 election. New people have been hired or elected, with varying degrees of experience. Find out who’s running elections in your area and how their approach might affect voters. Is there a vacancy that still needs to be filled? What is being done to recruit the tens of thousands of volunteer poll workers needed to run an efficient election? 
4. Ballots. They can’t be printed until all the candidates have been selected, usually by late August. That leaves only a small window before ballots have to be mailed to absentee voters, as much as 60 days before Election Day. This year, President Biden’s decision to drop out of the race raised questions about what happens if a candidate does so late in the campaign. Find out what contingencies are in place in your area for ballot changes, and when is it too late? 

BACKGROUND YOUR CANDIDATES

To help voters make an informed choice, now is a good time to start pulling together the political and personal histories of candidates who have secured their party’s nominations. Start with the basics: Google the candidate’s name in and out of quotes, and look for verification of their professional backgrounds. Check out major social media sites (X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) for past and current activity. Consider using Junkipedia to help monitor candidates’ posts. You can also enlist experts at Sunlight Search to teach your newsroom how to do an even deeper dive. Journalists can apply for free access to both services through the Knight Election Hub. Other options: Check court records — you can search federal court records online through PACER — or Google the candidate’s name and “mugshot” for any past arrests that may be relevant. And don’t forget to start lining up interviews with those who have known or worked with the candidate to help complete the profile!

SECURITY  

Last, but not least, now is the time to do reporting and planning around potential violence at the polls. Election workers have been threatened repeatedly since 2020 and the assassination attempt against former President Trump is a reminder that candidates, and even voters, can be targets. Journalists covering elections are also vulnerable and must be prepared to cover any violence that emerges while protecting themselves. If they haven’t already, newsrooms should train reporters on how to stay safe while doing their jobs and to know the legal limits they face at polling sites and campaign events. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has two guides, one for covering elections and another for covering protests. The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, representing both election and law enforcement officials, is a good source for the latest efforts to protect the polling place. The U.S. Department of Justice has a task force monitoring threats against election officials and election offices around the country are working with local law enforcement on plans to deal with potential unrest.  

• STORY IDEAS: What preparations are being made to protect election workers, volunteers and voters from potential violence on Election Day? Are there specific threats local officials are concerned about? How might this affect the outcome of the election?

These are a few suggestions before things really heat up in September, when ballots go out, voting begins, legal challenges multiply and misinformation will likely mushroom. Voters will turn to the media for more news about the choices they face, options for voting and what information they can and can’t trust. We’ll provide tips and resources next month to help you respond.