Use these checklists to support your team on Election Day

Election Day is one of those news events that can catch newsrooms off guard because planning is often designed around getting the results and reporting them, as opposed to unforeseen problems at the polls. This theme stood out in an API/Associated Press survey of editors and journalists who cover elections, so over the past several months we’ve shared a series of Critical Conversations on Elections — guides to help with some of the more difficult conversations newsrooms face in election coverage.

Whether or not these guides are applicable to your news organization, consider building similar checklists for whatever issues might arise during Election Day in your community. Hopefully you’ve been supporting your team’s well-being and planning on how to address misinformation in your community. As November 5 approaches, build on those conversations to prepare your team for what Election Day might look like, no matter the outcome.

Get on the same page before Election Day

This full Critical Conversations discussion guide outlines a checklist of discussions to have with anyone who will be working on Election Day, including:

• When problems occur at the polls, are we prepared to put them in context? Identify your community’s election officials and get familiar with local voting laws, procedures and technology.
• Are we tuned into the platforms where people will be talking about their experience at the polls in their communities, including any problems (or perceived problems)? If not, plug in to the platforms where those conversations are happening.
• Are we preparing our audiences (and ourselves) for later-than-usual results? Let readers know what might play out on election night, and plan staffing schedules around extended reporting times.

Resources for on-the-ground journalists

Earlier this year, the International Women’s Media Foundation and the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press shared tips for physical, digital and legal safety for journalists covering the U.S. elections:

• From protests to the polls, here’s how to protect your physical safety in the field
• Prepare for online attacks against journalists and newsrooms
• Understand your legal rights, from election records to polling places and protests

It’s also useful to plan ahead for political violence. Run through this checklist to determine how your outlet defines political violence before it occurs — and put a protocol in place for staff who might get caught up in it.