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 be mired for weeks in post-election litigation, certification delays and even violence did not materialize, in large part because those who promoted such tactics in 2020 and 2022 won the vote this time around.

That doesn’t mean there were no glitches or conspiracy theories about fraudulent results. But disruptions were limited and usually the kinds of problems that emerge in every election. Unfounded claims from the left about election rigging this year gained little traction.

The question for journalists now is where to focus your coverage (besides the obvious reporting on what the change in government next year will mean). How we choose our leaders remains an important issue and what happens in the months ahead will lay the groundwork for how future elections are run.

Here are a few areas to watch:

Tying Up Loose Ends

Voting counting is almost done, but not quite. For example, California allows voters to “cure,” or fix, problems on their mail ballots up until Dec. 1, which means they won’t have a final count until after then. You can track developments at this site from the California Voter Foundation.

There are also automatic and requested recounts in some state and local races that won’t be done until shortly before results are certified, a process that doesn’t occur in some places — including California, New York and Ohio — until early December. Legal challenges in close or contested races might further delay other results. Runoff elections in Georgia are also scheduled for numerous local contests on Dec. 3. Louisiana has local runoff elections Dec. 7.

All states are supposed to certify their electoral vote count in the Presidential race by Dec. 11. The electors are scheduled to meet in each state and the District of Columbia on Dec. 17 to cast their votes for President and Vice President. Congress convenes on Jan. 6 to officially count those votes. 

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on these final steps, even if it looks like everything will proceed as required. As we learned in 2020, anything can happen.

Also, watch for post-election litigation that could affect not only this year’s count, but future voting as well. Pennsylvania, for example, has been the focus of competing lawsuits over the rules governing the counting of misdated mail ballots. Litigation challenging state laws that allow the counting of mail ballots received after Election Day also continues to work its way through the courts.

You can get guidance on post-election procedures from your local or state election office, or from some of the many nonprofit voting groups that track developments in key states.

You can also get help (and quotes) from dozens of election experts at the Election Urgent Care Slack channel set up for journalists by the Knight Elections Hub and Votebeat. It’s available through Dec. 11, although you need to apply, if you haven’t done so already.  

New Legislation 

Expect a wave of election-related legislation to emerge in both Congress and state legislatures over the coming year as the parties in power try to reshape the process. Some of the changes will be in response to issues that arose this year; others will be revisions that have been on partisan wish lists for a long time.

For example, Republicans pushed the SAVE Act earlier this year, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote anywhere in the country. The bill passed in the House, but died in the Senate. With Republicans set to take control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, some form of the SAVE Act will almost certainly be introduced and acted upon.

Such legislation is also likely to be expanded to include more sweeping voting changes. Groups such as the conservative Election Integrity Network, run by former Trump attorney Cleta Mitchell, want to seize the opportunity to revamp all federal voting laws. These include the Help America Vote Act, the National Voter Registration Act and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. These activists would like to see voter ID requirements imposed nationally and restrictions on when mail ballots need to be returned in order to count. They also want more requirements on how voter rolls are maintained by the states and limits on federal agency involvement in voter registration.

Bills are already being drafted and could come up at any time in the new Congress. Journalists should keep a close eye on these developments.  Countless groups keep tabs and weigh in on such legislation, including the National Association of Secretaries of State, the Brennan Center for Justice, Protect Democracy and the Heritage Foundation. You might want to monitor the nonpartisan Electionline news site, which produces a daily summary of election-related news from around the country.

Another issue to watch — federal funding of elections. While the pressure is on Congress to cut overall spending, local and state election officials will almost certainly continue to plead for more financial help. It’s a good opportunity to do stories about the impact of insufficient funding and resources on this year’s elections.

Don’t forget that most legislation governing how elections are run is enacted at the state or local level. As control shifts in some state legislatures, expect to see new efforts to either expand or restrict voter access — depending on who’s in charge. North Carolina Republicans have already pushed to get sweeping election changes — including moving authority over the state election board from the Democratic governor to an office held by a Republican — enacted before they lose their supermajority in the House next year.

Other legislation could be brought up to address particular issues that emerged in this year’s elections. For example, some states might want to pass laws that clarify what types of voter ID are required, what voting technology is acceptable, and who has oversight of the state’s voting process. Pennsylvania election officials are interested in pursuing legislation that would address some of the confusion and controversy they encountered this year related to mail ballots and early voting.

Even though most ballot initiatives calling for electoral reforms — such as open primaries and ranked choice voting — were defeated this year, that doesn’t mean they won’t reemerge. Several interest groups and academics argue that such changes would better reflect the preferences of the electorate at a time of extreme polarization. On the other hand, the defeat of these initiatives could spur efforts to overturn already enacted state and local laws allowing ranked-choice voting and open primaries.

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a good source for monitoring the status of state election bills. The Voting Rights Lab also tracks such legislation. 

Other Election Changes

Those who ran this year’s elections will spend the months ahead looking at what did and didn’t work, and what changes need to be made. Keep an eye on these developments if you can. Decisions today will likely shape the stories you’ll be covering in the next election.

Some potential issues:

Misinformation/Communications — Despite efforts to reduce the impact of misinformation, it remains widespread. Expect election officials and outside groups to explore new ways to counter its impact and ensure that the public is accurately informed. There will likely be extensive discussions about where voters get their information, the impact of third-party groups on manipulating voters through social media and ads, and what, if anything, should be done about it. 

Security — One of the most disruptive events on Election Day was a spate of bomb threats, linked to a Russian email domain. The investigation into the source of these threats — none of which were credible — could produce changes in security measures taken to protect voters and election workers. And though overall we didn’t see the level of threats and violence that occurred in 2020 and 2022, Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative reported an uptick in harassment of local officials leading up to the election. Expect a reassessment of how much security is needed at polling places and what threats still exist.

Administrative changes —  Election offices could make changes in how voters cast their ballots and how those ballots are counted. Should drop boxes continue to be used? How many and where? What voting equipment worked and what didn’t?  Can ballots be counted more quickly without compromising accuracy? Do election offices have sufficient contingency plans in place to deal with natural disasters, such as Hurricane Helene? It’s the nitty gritty of election administration — boring on the surface, but incredibly important when the day arrives.

Personnel — What can be done to staff up election offices after the exodus of so many experienced workers after 2020? What impact did those restrictions have in 2024? What resources are available to address this issue?

Executive Orders — Republicans have been opposed to a Biden executive order directing federal agencies to help Americans register to vote. Expect Trump to rescind that order almost immediately.

General — There will be a lot of post-election studies done to assess why the 2024 vote went as smoothly as it did, and what steps should be taken to ensure the next election is even more error-free.  Expect a lot of studies, too, on voter confidence in the process after this year’s experience. Are voters more or less confident in the legitimacy of the results and why? Also, why did so many voters decide not to participate?

Final Word

Media outlets, public officials and outside groups did an incredible amount of work this year to improve public understanding and trust in the voting process.  Did it help? From my vantage point it did, although academics and pollsters will certainly study the issue a lot more thoroughly in the years ahead. In the meantime, I’d like to give credit to all those who did so much to ensure that voters had the facts, despite a flood of misleading and false information. We’ve come a long way since the chaos of 2020. Keep up the good work!