The role of local election officials: 5 studies to consider
We highlight recent research that can inform journalists who are reporting on precinct staffing challenges, bias in who gets help voting, and more.
voting
Expert Commentary
Election Beat 2022: How state laws threaten and weaken voting rights in the US
In the lead-up to the Nov. 8 midterm elections, journalists might want to keep an eye on how state laws are weakening voting rights, writes media scholar Thomas Patterson.
Expert Commentary
Election Beat 2022: Don’t forget to cover voter registration deadlines
In the lead-up to the Nov. 8 midterm elections in the U.S., it’s important for journalists to remind their audiences of voter registration deadlines in each state, writes media scholar Thomas Patterson.
Expert Commentary
Research links lynching in the U.S. South generations ago to lower rates of Black voter registration today
The study examines how thousands of lynchings after Reconstruction affect voting patterns in the U.S. South today.
Expert Commentary
Lawsuits over voting maps have become a strategy for challenging political power, study finds — plus, 3 tips for covering redistricting
A nationwide analysis finds these lawsuits aren’t always an indicator of racial injustice or that one political party may have an unfair advantage.
Expert Commentary
Vote in person or by mail ballot? Research to help audiences weigh the risks
Does in-person voting raise the risk of COVID-19 infection? If someone submits a mail ballot, what are the odds it will be rejected? Do mail-in ballots benefit one political party over another?
Expert Commentary
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.
Expert Commentary
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.
Expert Commentary
Are people with cancer, chronic illness more likely to vote?
2015 research brief from the Scholars Strategy Network and a University of Minnesota researcher looks at whether Americans with chronic illnesses such as cancer and heart disease are more or less likely to vote in elections.
Expert Commentary