Millions of Americans will head to the polls to vote Tuesday, with varying rules depending on the states -- it’s an incredibly complex process that also comes with problems. Reporters across the nation are keeping track of potential issues through a news collaboration.
The project is by non-profit investigative news site ProPublica, and it’s called Electionland. Capital Public Radio is one of more than 300 newsrooms across the country that will be looking at reports of long lines, broken machines and voter intimidation at the polls.
Professional and student journalists will be keeping watch of these reports and track problems in real-time by parsing through social media posts, sifting through Google Trends data and direct reports from individuals through text messaging.
The project comes at a time when one of the presidential candidates, Donald Trump, has repeatedly said that the election is rigged. Most experts say, however, that there is no evidence behind the claim.
The collaboration asks the public to reach out through a variety of ways if they are experiencing any problems while voting on Tuesday. Citizens can text ELECTIONLAND to 69866 and someone with the project will follow-up with them. The public can also tweet about the issues they're seeing or post on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Journalists will gather these tips from the public, verify and report on the ones that appear significant.
Follow coverage from Electionland on this blog and on Twitter.
-Capital Public Radio Staff
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