Covering polarization
Publication: Democracy Toolkit
Covering Elections and Voting in 2024: A Media Guide
Whether you’re new to the elections beat or a veteran reporter, this helpful guide lays out the voting process in 2024. It lays out key steps that are true for voting in nearly every election, provides news angles, story ideas as well as a curated list of additional resources. It’s from The Elections Group and written by veteran NPR Reporter Pam Fessler.
Get the Guide
Plan Your Coverage
Early Summer
June - July
Grounding your reporting in history.
Late Summer
August - September
Helping voters form informed opinions pre-election.
Democracy Day
September 15
Drawing attention to the crisis facing American democracy.
Run-Up
September - November
Equipping the electorate to vote and countering bad actors.
Election Day
November 5
Reporting on a key moment in American democracy in real time.
Post Election
November - January
Guiding voters through next steps in advance of inauguration.
New Term Through Next Cycle
2025
Keeping voters engaged in how their elected officials govern.
Plan Your Coverage
-
Early Summer
June - July
Grounding your reporting in history.
-
Late Summer
August - September
Helping voters form informed opinions pre-election.
-
Democracy Day
September 15
Drawing attention to the crisis facing American democracy.
-
Run-Up
September - November
Equipping the electorate to vote and countering bad actors.
-
Election Day
November 5
Reporting on a key moment in American democracy in real time.
-
Post Election
November - January
Guiding voters through next steps in advance of inauguration.
-
New Term Through Next Cycle
2025
Keeping voters engaged in how their elected officials govern.
Featured Resources
Guidance and Support to Empower Your Journalism
Covering Racism & Nativism
Publication: Democracy Toolkit
Preparing for Extremism
Publication: ElectionSOS
Our key resources for journalists
Get Election Coverage Support
Election SOS is a pop-up support program helmed by Hearken that focuses on helping journalists in responding to critical election-specific information needs during major U.S. elections. Resources include a voter guide, scenario planning guide, webinars and articles.
Who is it for?
Reporters and newsroom leaders covering U.S. elections.
Visit Election SOS
Access Election Coverage Tools
The Knight Election Hub provides free or reduced-price resources and services to U.S. newsrooms covering the 2024 elections at the federal, state, and local levels. These resources help publishers serve their audiences by giving them the information they need to make informed voting decisions, have confidence in the election process and results, and understand the role newsrooms play in providing reliable civic information.
Who is it for?
Reporters and producers covering U.S. elections.
Visit Knight Election Hub
Stop the Horse Race and Public-Power Your Coverage
The Citizens Agenda is a free 440-page guide for generating more responsive, inclusive and useful news coverage for voters. It’s a form of engagement journalism that’s proving increasingly useful as the norms of traditional political reporting continue to become less impactful on voters.
Who is it for?
Reporters and newsroom leaders covering U.S. elections.
Get the Citizens Agenda Guide
Join the Democracy Day Collaboration
Democracy Day is a nationwide, collaborative effort to draw attention to the crisis U.S. democracy is facing, provide the public with the context and information they need, and bring all types of media together to sound the alarm collectively. Sign ups are open to become a media partner.
Who is it for?
Reporters, newsroom leaders and journalism educators.
Visit Democracy Day
Understand Democratic Backsliding
The Democracy Toolkit equips reporters, newsroom leaders and journalism educators with vetted, relevant resources to help meet this moment of democratic backsliding in America. The Tookit is updated on an ongoing basis as materials and resources become available.
Who is it for?
Reporters, newsroom leaders and journalism educators.
visit democracy toolkit
Redesign Your Political Coverage
Advancing Democracy is a nine-month fellowship program that supports reporters and editors in strengthening our democracy through innovative news coverage that highlights promising responses to our democracy’s challenges, and builds civic engagement, equity and healthy discourse.
Who is it for?
Newsrooms with at least two people (a reporter and editor) who can participate in every workshop.
Visit Advancing Democracy
Our Partners
Democracy SOS and its network of resources are created and maintained in partnership between Hearken and the Center for Cooperative Media, Democracy Day, The Solutions Journalism Network, Trusting News, Good Conflict, The Center for Journalism & Democracy, The Knight Election Hub, OpenNews and Muckrock. We are nonpartisan and are not advocating for any policy or electoral outcome. Our goal is to equip journalists and newsrooms with the most useful information and strategies around reporting on a variety of democracy and election-related topics, alongside methods for meaningfully building trust, engaging and empowering the communities they aim to serve.
