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

Things are heating up as Election Day nears – misinformation, mistakes, disagreements, enthusiasm. This makes it especially important for reporters covering this story to get their facts right and explain what’s going on in the clearest way possible. It also makes that job a lot more challenging.

Voting has already begun. Mail ballots have been sent to voters in several states and to military and overseas voters. Tens of millions of additional ballots will be delivered in the coming weeks.

Election officials, campaigns, political parties, and others will be watching to make sure those ballots get to the voters who request them and that ballots returned via mail or drop boxes end up where they’re supposed to go. Deadlines and rules vary by state and can make the difference in whether a mail vote is counted. Concerns have been raised about the ability of the U.S. Postal Service to get all this election-related mail delivered on time, a development worth watching.

Early in-person voting has also begun in a handful of states. Voters in most of the rest of the country will get a chance to vote early in-person in the weeks ahead.

All this activity can be an early indicator of overall turnout for the election, and a sign of which voters are most energized. The University of Florida’s Election Lab can help you track the latest numbers by state.

Officials will also be watching for new efforts — both domestic and foreign — to mislead voters and cause confusion. The volume of misinformation will likely accelerate as Election Day nears, making it crucial for the media to report the facts promptly.

The job might overwhelm you in the weeks ahead, especially if you’re new to the voting beat. To help, the nonprofit news organization Votebeat  is setting up a free Slack channel for journalists to get their questions answered quickly – and on-the-record – by dozens of election experts. The service will run from Oct. 15 through Dec. 17. You can get more information about this unique opportunity and sign up here.

We have more resources and tips below — in addition to those provided in our August  and September  reports.

Here are some other issues that deserve special attention this month:

LEGAL ACTION

Both major political parties and many interest groups have been busy in court all year, but election-related cases will likely spike in the coming days. Some court decisions could mean last-minute changes in how voters can cast their ballots and how they’ll be counted. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in September that voters who fail to provide a proper date when signing their mail ballot envelope will have their ballot rejected, contrary to earlier practice. In North Carolina, appeals court judges ruled that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name should be removed from the ballot, delaying the state’s plans to mail out ballots by more than two weeks.

Other court cases could lay the groundwork for campaigns to challenge the results after the election. To keep track of the latest developments, check out the Election Law Blog, Democracy Docket (run by Democratic attorney Marc Elias) and the RNC’s Protect the Vote site. You can get other updates from groups usually found on opposite sides in these cases, such as the ACLU and the Public Interest Legal Foundation. You might want to find out what state political parties and local legal groups are up to as well. Many voting cases originate with them.

STORY IDEAS

What cases in your area might have a major impact on how ballots are cast and counted? Once such cases are decided, explain to voters what it means for them. Who is behind these cases and what is their motivation? Some groups file lawsuits knowing they’re unlikely to succeed but that they could help shape public opinion. For example, several suits have been filed alleging widespread non-citizen voting, of which there’s no evidence, at a time when Republicans are pushing for new laws requiring that voters show proof of citizenship.

THREATS AND VIOLENCE

This continues to be a big part of the story. Election offices in more than 20 states recently received suspicious packages that proved to be harmless but unnerved officials who are already the target of violent threats. It’s impossible to predict what, if any, additional trouble might emerge, but it’s best to prepare.

Groups that claim they want to prevent voter fraud have promised to monitor drop boxes around the country. That activity could become voter intimidation depending on how the situation evolves. Check the laws in your area now.

The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections has produced handy pocket guides for law enforcement on each state’s voting laws. These can be helpful to journalists, especially those covering in-person voting on Election Day. You might also want to check out the Bridging Divides Initiative, which has compiled a comprehensive dataset of recent threats against public officials.

Election SOS also provides free training and resources for journalists covering extremism, and PEN America is offering workshops to help protect against online abuse.

STORY IDEAS

What are the latest security concerns of national and local election officials? Is fear of violence having an impact on efforts to recruit poll workers? Are election officials concerned that talk about potential violence at the polls could suppress turnout, even though the vast majority of voters will likely have a smooth, safe voting experience? What measures have been taken in your area to protect voters and election workers? Many places are tightening security, including installing “panic buttons” at voting sites in case of emergencies.

ELECTION PREPARATIONS

With millions of ballots being printed and mailed, mistakes are inevitable and we’ve seen some already. You should be prepared to do stories explaining the errors, their impact and what is being done to fix them. You might also have to address the false rumors and conspiracy theories that such mistakes often produce.

Now is a good time to report on what election officials are doing to make sure voting goes smoothly; a lot of this work takes place in October when election offices will be recruiting and training poll workers. They’ll also be conducting mandatory tests of equipment — called “logic and accuracy” tests — to spot potential problems before Election Day. Much of this testing is done in public, and might be a good news story.

It’s not too soon to prepare voters for what to expect before, on and after Election Day. This is especially true when it comes to how votes are counted and when results become official. Experts predict it could be many days before the outcome is known this year, especially if the vote is close. This lag time can open the way for conspiracy theories and public confusion, as we saw in 2020. Arizona officials are already warning voters that exceptionally long ballots will mean long lines and a lengthy count. In Georgia, a recent Board of Election decision could delay the results by requiring that the number of ballots be tabulated by hand.

The best source for information on counting votes is your local or state election office. The National Conference of State Legislatures also has a state-by-state guide.

Election Reformers Network and Bridge Alliance have created the Election Overtime Project to help journalists covering close and contested elections. They provide extensive details and webinars on how elections are run in seven battleground states. The American Press Institute, along with The Associated Press, also offers resources for reporters covering Election Day and the aftermath.

STORY IDEAS

Go to a poll worker training class. They can be real eye-openers when it comes to knowing how the process works and what steps have been taken to ensure that voting is secure and accurate. Cover a logic and accuracy test to see how the equipment works. Give voters useful information on where, how and when to vote, and the rules for voting by mail. Do a profile of the person running your local election office so voters have a better idea who’s in charge. Find out what challenges they expect, how they’re preparing, and why they’re doing this job – although don’t be surprised if they say they’re too busy now to talk.

WHAT ABOUT CERTIFICATION?

This could be the big story after Election Day. But who knows? It’s best to be prepared. The law says final vote counts need to be “certified” at the local or state level, or both. The deadlines and rules vary by state.

Certification has largely been a ministerial task that essentially involves making sure the totals add up. But since 2020, a few officials tasked with this job have balked, alleging voter fraud or concerns that something seems fishy and needs further investigation. In all cases, certification eventually proceeded, but sometimes under the threat of legal action against those failing to fulfill their duty.

There are fears that those dissatisfied with this year’s election outcome could try to overturn or delay the final results. They’re unlikely to succeed, but it’s unclear what happens if someone simply chooses to defy the law. At the very least, refusal to certify could cause severe disruptions and undermine public confidence in the results. You should find out now what the certification rules are in your area, who’s tasked with doing the job, and what is the likelihood they might try to delay certification. What are state or local officials planning to do in response?

Multiple sources are available to help you navigate this obscure, but potentially important, procedure. In addition to the Election Overtime Project noted above, Informing Democracy has a good breakdown of certification requirements in battleground states and a 50-state guide. VoteBeat also has a helpful summary of recent developments. Beware — efforts to disrupt the process can occur anywhere, even in a tiny jurisdiction in a non-competitive state.

The bottom line when covering elections: Expect the unexpected. Be informed and ready to respond to any development. We hope these resources and others available at the Knight Election Hub can help. We’ll have more tips and resources in what could be some tense weeks ahead.