#electionland

Trouble Voting? We Want To Hear From You.

HuffPost is partnering with ProPublica’s Electionland project as part of a reporting collaboration to write about access to the ballot box in the 2018 elections. And we need you to alert us to problems at the polls so we can investigate them.

No tip is too small: We’re interested in long lines at polling places, as well as voters receiving incorrect information about voting. Are you missing from the voting rolls? Tell us about it. Did a voting machine glitch on you? We want to know about that, too.

by ProPublica | Articles and Investigations - ProPublica | March 5th 2018

by ProPublica

We are looking for data and reporting fellows to join one of America’s most innovative (and fun) investigative newsrooms to work on covering the 2018 election. You won’t be covering the horse race — you’ll be covering voting itself: voting rights, election integrity, cyber security of election systems, etc. And you’ll be helping journalists across the country cover it, too.

Electionland started in the run-up to the 2016 election. It was the largest collaborative journalism project ever to cover a single event. More than 1,100 journalists took part. This is your chance to be at t...

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Storyful is a social marketing and news company that is known for discovering and verifying social news content. In this article, Storyful details the process of verifying the authenticity of a video of lightning striking a tree and creating a fireball. They used tools like Spokeo, WolframAlpha, White Pages, and Google Maps to find the person who posted the video and verify details like the weather on that particular day.

The title of the article, “When journalist turns stalker,” really resonated with me. My friends always come to me for help if they need to track someone down using the random bits of information they have. I have always found it fascinating that I can start with a tiny tidbit of information like someone’s first name and end up finding their mother’s maiden name and where they attended elementary school. Does that make me a stalker? Maybe, but isn’t that essentially what a journalist is?

On Election Day this past November, I was fortunate to be able to participate in Electionland, a project designed to track voting issues throughout the country in real time. Journalism schools at several universities, including mine at the University of Florida, joined ProPublica, the Google News Lab, WNYC News, Univision, the First Draft Coalition, and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, among other partners, to find and authenticate voting issues throughout the United States. Students and professors at the journalism schools were tasked with searching social media to find and verify potential problems at polling places, using tools tools like TweetDeck, Dataminr, Facebook Signal and TinEye Reverse Image Search. We passed the information we found to New York to be verified by the team there, and then it was sent out to reporters. 

Name: Brittany Norton

Year: Junior

Why did you want to participate in Electionland? I just wanted to do my journalistic duty to cover one of the most controversial elections in history. I also thought it would be cool when people asked what I was doing during the election to say I was covering it with a bunch of other journalism students. 

What was a highlight of Electionland? A highlight was finding people sharing Glenn Legon’s piece “Double America.” I thought it was interesting why people chose this particular art piece to encourage voters because it definitely speaks to this election because of the double America and how divided we are as a nation right now. I’m really looking forward to covering the reactions as results come out. 

What’s your first political memory? I would say when I first starting paying attention to politics was my history class my junior year of high school because it made me realize how much of an impact politics does have on our nation despite the apathy some people have towards our government.

Name: Scott Greenstone

Year: Senior

Why did you want to participate in Electionland? As a journalism student, I didn't want to do something partisan, but as a human being, I wanted to do something that could make even a small difference. I felt like being a watchdog for our democracy was a way I could do that.

What was a highlight of Electionland? Probably all the social media from young people voting with their parents. The country is so divided that seeing generations doing something so central to our democracy together was heartwarming and made me hopeful. 

What’s your first political memory? Honestly, I grew up fairly apolitical, and I can barely remember who I voted for in 2012--I was that disengaged. Deciding to become a journalist has been a total 180 for me.

Name: Kaylee Tornay

Year: Senior

Why did you want to participate in Electionland? I wanted to be a part of this experience because it is so incredibly unique. Covering the whole election road since last summer has been an incredibly challenging and exciting and draining ordeal. And this is the culmination! How could I pass this up? History is being made, and I get a chance to be a part of the team writing the first draft.

What was a highlight of Electionland? I had the chance to speak in Spanish with a Californian woman who was having trouble getting her ballot accepted. That was a very scary and exhilarating part of the day!

@realDonaldTrump It's HAPPENING God Bless you Mr. Trump, you are a blessing. #MAGA

— THE_DEPLORABLE (@THE_KATZ) November 9, 2016

Ballot drop with my dad! Sad I didn't get a sticker. Vote for more stickers. #vote #ivoted

A photo posted by AmyGrace Maynard (@amygraaaace) on Nov 8, 2016 at 7:00pm PST

Everything I need for the night. Look to the right when I can. Look to the left to calm down. #imwithher #portland #ripcity #pdx pic.twitter.com/R6xIaAZB1a

— Sean Berwald (@sberwald) November 9, 2016

THIS COCKTAIL IS RIGGED. Election-themed cocktail for @pokpoksom #votesom competition: @espolontequila Reposado tequila, Pok Pok Som Cranberry drinking vinegar, lime juice, @stormbreakerbrewing 'When I Froot' blood orange-conditioned blonde ale. #highproofpdx #pdxcocktail #pdxdrinks #inpdx #pdxnow #buzzfeast #cocktailrecipes #cocktail #partypunch #drinkup #pdxcocktails #partytime #cocktailsofinstagram #cocktails #instadrinks #instadrink #cheers