Election Beat 2020: A weekly series by Thomas E. Patterson

ELECTION BEAT 2020

In the weeks leading up to the 2020 U.S. election, Thomas E. Patterson is writing a weekly series of research-based pieces examining election-related topics and how journalists cover them. Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at Harvard Kennedy School. He also conceived Journalist’s Resource and oversaw its initial development.

Election Beat 2020: The mysterious voter registration deadline

The news media would perform a public service by making Americans aware of voter registration deadlines and what they need to do to participate in elections, writes media scholar Thomas E. Patterson.

Election Beat 2020: How journalists influence the public’s response to presidential debates

"The first presidential debate is but a week away. The challenge for news outlets will be to try to capture the debate as a whole and not through the lens of its most sensational moment," writes Thomas E. Patterson.

Election Beat 2020: The ongoing watchdog obligation to cover the US census

Tom Patterson asks whether the press has an obligation to increase its focus on the U.S. census as the new deadline for the count approaches.

Election Beat 2020: Where did all the swing voters go?

Today’s presidential nominees need not only convince voters that they’re the better choice but also that their party is an acceptable choice, writes Thomas E. Patterson.

Election Beat 2020: The influential roles of white evangelicals and ‘religious nones’

Scholar Thomas E. Patterson considers the roles of white evangelicals and the religiously unaffiliated in the 2020 election.

Election Beat 2020: An exploration of the ‘convention bounce’

Every presidential nominating convention since 1996 has produced a bump in the polls -- referred to as a "convention bounce" -- of 2% or less, Tom Patterson writes.

Election Beat 2020: Focus on America’s two largest recent immigrant groups

"In 2020, Hispanics and Asian Americans -- the nation’s two largest recent immigrant groups -- deserve close attention," writes Harvard professor Thomas E. Patterson

Election Beat 2020: Let them be heard — Covering the national party conventions

While journalists may find nothing new in what the nominees say during national party conventions, much of it will be new to many voters, writes Harvard professor Thomas E. Patterson.

Election Beat 2020: Why U.S. voting rights are less than absolute

Harvard professor Thomas E. Patterson explains why journalists must help the public understand why U.S. voting rights are less than absolute.

Election Beat 2020: The real and false risks of mail-in voting

"If states were to greatly expand their mail-balloting option, risks will remain, though the risks do not include some of the possibilities that have attracted substantial news coverage," writes Thomas E. Patterson.

Election Beat 2020: The other problem with journalists’ use of polls

As in their coverage of the 1948 presidential election, journalists still tend to build their narratives and candidate images around poll results.

Election Beat 2020: Journalists’ meta-narratives of political candidates

"Election Beat 2020" is a new series of columns authored by Thomas E. Patterson at Harvard Kennedy School. In his inaugural piece, he discusses the problem of "meta-narratives."