The importance of explanatory journalism in elections

The Associated Press on Nov. 5 will count the vote and declare winners in some 7,000 races, doing the work so the world knows as soon as possible who wins not only the White House, but also control of Congress and many other races up and down the ballot across the country. As it has done for more than 170 years, AP will count the vote and report the results quickly and accurately. 

In addition, the AP has spent the past year producing a trove of explanatory work around the election and voting process. One example is Our Very Complicated Democracy, where the AP highlighted some of the most misunderstood and complicated parts of American democracy through character-driven explanatory coverage.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2024 election

This work is important throughout the year, but especially in the leadup to Nov. 5, on Election Day and beyond. The AP plans explanatory coverage across formats over the course of the next several weeks focusing on the election process, voting, certification and much more. The AP also will provide detailed looks at what it plans to examine as it makes race calls, and explanatory coverage once key race calls are made.

It is critical for newsrooms across the U.S. to get ahead of misinformation by providing fact-based elections information to the widest possible audience, and by being open and transparent about their work. 

Coming up from AP

The AP is launching a robust explanatory package at the start of October that will explore more than two dozen elements of the election and voting process.

This series will examine all the ways people vote around the U.S., including: 

• what the eligibility rules are for who can vote, and how that varies from state to state
• how voting machines work, and why hand counting is more prone to error
• how states count ballots and when
• how voter fraud is rare
• when recounts happen, but how they rarely change the outcome
• how election certification works

The goal is to provide a wealth of factual information about the process in an effort to get out ahead of misinformation but also answer the many questions people will have.       

AP decision notes

AP’s experts on its Decision Team do extensive research on the election process, key races, historical data and much more in each state as they prepare for Election Day. This research is then turned into journalism in the form of AP’s Decision Notes, which are published ahead of an election and showcase what the AP is looking for as it prepares to call races. 

For Nov. 5, the AP plans Decision Notes stories for each state. They will outline the key races, important historical trends, how the state tabulates votes, what to watch for on Election Day and more.   

Pulling back the curtain 

The Associated Press also will be pulling back the curtain to explain how it makes race calls as part of its effort to be transparent and show its work.

These race call explainers will detail how the AP determined who won a race by showing the facts and data that went into the call and how AP’s experts on its Decision Team were able to declare a winner.

For your newsroom

Many U.S. newsrooms are doing similar work to shine a light on the election process in their communities.

This could include voter guides that provide useful information about key deadlines, or explainers on how local election officials protect against voter fraud or make sure ballots get from precincts to election offices securely.

Here are some tips for producing local explainers:

• Break it down simply. Address complicated issues that often attract misinformation, but aim to make these stories approachable. 
• Use easy-to-understand language. Be conversational, and skip the journalese.
• Solicit questions. Address what your audience really wants to know.
• Meet audiences where they’re at. Offer clear, concise text stories for digital sites, and video for social audiences. Consider whether to offer this content in other languages. 

 

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Follow its coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.