This post was originally published on this site
With the pandemic introducing new uncertainties around this year’s voting process, the E.W. Scripps Co. is launching a wide-ranging editorial and promotional initiative to arm voters with the information and resources they need to make sure their vote counts this election cycle.
Ranging from local digital voter guides and precinct-by-precinct coverage to in-depth national coverage, Scripps TV stations and national media businesses are producing coverage that breaks down the voting process as it unfolds and encourages voters to be actively engaged in the democratic process.
In 42 markets, Scripps’ local TV stations have built dedicated voter resource pages where their audiences can find the latest on how to vote in their hometowns, including registration deadlines, polling locations and what they’ll need in order to submit a mail-in ballot or vote in person.
In Scripps’ headquarters city of Cincinnati, WCPO is partnering with ProPublica for its national Electionland project. As one of the first TV stations in the country to partner with the nonprofit newsroom, WCPO is investigating issues related to election security and voting concerns. Other Scripps stations have joined the collaborative project to help track voting issues across the country by hosting a tip line.
Scripps stations also are running multiplatform promotions to encourage viewers to vote, despite this year’s logistical challenges of voting in a pandemic. Watch an example from KGTV in San Diego here and from KNXV in Phoenix here.
More Americans are expected to vote by mail this year instead of at their local polling place in an effort to avoid contracting or spreading the coronavirus.
