Effectively, we made it. It’s Election Day.
In the present day might go down as probably the most essential days within the historical past of our nation because the nation decides between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Then once more, as we noticed in 2020, Election Day is a misnomer. We should always change it to Election Week, seeing as the way it’s potential, and doubtless seemingly, that we gained’t know who the subsequent president will probably be tonight. And even tomorrow. Or possibly not even the day after.
Nonetheless, beginning at this time, the nationwide networks and cable information networks will go along with wall-to-wall protection, lots of them till a winner is asserted.
Take into account this a mini viewer’s information to election week protection.
I’m not speaking about the place you’ll be able to watch it. Simply flip in your TVs and begin channel browsing and also you’ll run into tons of election protection.
This isn’t about the place to observe. However how to observe.
And serving to me out is PolitiFact’s Amy Sherman, who wrote a sensible piece this week: “Don’t fall for these false claims as you await the 2024 election results.”
I requested Sherman about it and she or he informed me on Monday, “On election evening, each phrase issues.”
For instance?
Sherman stated, “Keep away from phrases akin to ‘sluggish’ when talking in regards to the tempo of election outcomes. Sluggish in accordance with whom? Pennsylvania’s regulation doesn’t permit native election officers to open up mail ballots till 7 a.m. Election Day. In order that doesn’t imply that election officers work ‘slower’ in that state, together with its Democratic city areas, than, say, Florida, the place they began that course of weeks earlier.”
Nonetheless, viewers determined to see their candidate win will cling to each phrase, each trace and each declare, whether or not it’s true or not.
Sherman, a veteran of masking elections, writes of a number of the claims you’re certain to see late tonight and within the days forward. They embody:
Claims about 1000’s of useless voters. That is known as the zombie vote, you understand, just like the walkers on “The Strolling Useless” one way or the other getting back from the useless to forged votes. Sherman wrote, “It’s a zombie declare we see throughout each election cycle: Large numbers of useless individuals are voting! And they’re all Democrats! Neither is true.”
Claims that poll errors and election website mishaps equal fraud. Sherman wrote, “Though election officers spend years getting ready for presidential elections, errors typically happen. They aren’t an indication of fraud.”
Claims that there have been 1000’s of pretend votes in Pennsylvania. Once more, not true.
Claims about machines flipping votes. This turned a favourite speaking level of Republicans in 2020. The false declare was that voters forged their ballots for Donald Trump, however defective or rigged machines flipped these votes to Joe Biden. That is false. Let’s not overlook how Dominion Voting Techniques collected a $787.5 million verify as a result of such claims had been made on Fox Information.
Rampant noncitizen voting. Trump and plenty of of his advocates declare that Democrats have made it so non-U.S. residents are voting. Sherman wrote, “That’s not occurring. Federal regulation bans noncitizens from voting in federal elections. Noncitizens typically land on voter rolls, typically accidentally when getting driver’s licenses. Nonetheless, voting by noncitizens in federal elections is uncommon.”
Claims that election officers rip up or trash ballots. Sherman wrote, “Claims in 2020 about giant numbers of ballots discovered within the trash had been both made up or had been about spoiled ballots that had been legally destroyed.”
Two extra false claims: claims that election officers sneak in “poll dumps” late at evening and claims that mass voter fraud in 2020 affected the election’s consequence.
However right here’s the declare that you simply’re most certainly to listen to tonight: Claims of early victory.
That is straight out of Trump’s 2020 playbook. He appeared on the voting tally late on election evening and, as a result of he was forward in lots of states, he declared victory. The issue was, votes had been nonetheless being tabulated. That didn’t matter to Trump, who claimed primarily that voting ought to cease. That’s sort of like stopping a soccer recreation at halftime.
Sherman wrote, “There is no such thing as a state or federal regulation that claims vote counting should cease a couple of hours after the polls shut. Election officers would have violated legal guidelines in the event that they merely stopped counting official ballots.”
Learn Sherman’s story. And bear in mind what she wrote as you watch the protection tonight, tomorrow and within the days forward.
And Sherman informed me to go alongside this recommendation: “If you’re stressed and want a enjoyable break, I like to recommend X posts by Georgia’s Gabriel Sterling as a result of he combines helpful information, debunking irrespective of the particular person’s get together affiliation, AND enjoyable gifs.”
READ MORE: Where 9 journalists get their election news
So when, precisely, will we all know who the subsequent president will probably be?
Will we all know late tonight? Early tomorrow morning? Later within the week?
In 2020, though Joe Biden appeared properly on his option to victory, it wasn’t till Saturday — 4 days after Election Day — that The Related Press and different information organizations declared him the winner.
And never figuring out for a couple of days is perhaps aggravating, nevertheless it doesn’t imply something is unsuitable.
PolitiFact’s Amy Sherman writes, “Not knowing all the results on election night is normal. Here’s why.”
The Washington Post’s Patrick Marley and Amy Gardner have a good roundup of what the timeline might seem like this week.
It’s all seemingly going to come back right down to the swing states. Each state is completely different in how they rely the varied methods to vote, together with same-day, mail-in, early and absentee votes. Let’s undergo them.
- Pennsylvania: Similar to 2020, due to when mail-in and absentee ballots are counted, it might be a number of days earlier than we all know if Harris or Trump gained the Keystone State.
- Arizona: Once more, it might take days earlier than all of the votes are tabulated in Arizona.
- Nevada: A state the place mail-in ballots are excessive might take days. The Publish writes, “Most states require ballots to be returned by Election Day, however Nevada counts mail ballots and not using a postmark that arrive as much as three days after Election Day and people with a postmark as much as 4 days after Election Day. That creates uncertainty on when the outcomes will probably be identified, particularly in an in depth election. The second largest day for receiving mail ballots in Nevada is usually the day after the election.”
- In 2020, Georgia was known as for Biden on Friday. The Publish stories that election officers predict a faster rely this time. How a lot faster? We don’t know.
- Michigan: Most stories say Michigan will be capable of declare a winner by Wednesday.
- Wisconsin: In 2020, Wisconsin was known as for Biden on Wednesday afternoon. So the expectation is identical timeline this time round.
- North Carolina: This state typically counts votes shortly. The Publish writes, “Due to harm from Hurricane Helene, some precincts must name their outcomes into election places of work as a substitute of delivering laptop reminiscence sticks to them. This might sluggish the reporting of ends in some counties.”
All of that is, in fact, topic to alter.
The underside line is that, identical to 2020, it might take a number of days earlier than we all know who gained. And that doesn’t keep in mind recounts or authorized challenges.
As FiveThirtyEight’s Nathaniel Rakich and Amina Brown wrote, “Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5 — however that doesn’t imply we’ll know who gained the election on that date. With every passing election, an increasing number of People are casting mail-in ballots, which take longer to rely than in-person votes as a result of they must be opened and verified. That signifies that discovering out the winner on election evening could also be a factor of the previous.”
The 538 story appears to be like at each state — when the polls shut and the timing of the outcomes.
(AP Picture/Mark Lennihan, File)
One of many extra intriguing issues to comply with on election evening (and the times after) is The New York Occasions’ “election needle,” which makes use of statistical evaluation of the votes coming in and people nonetheless excellent to foretell, at any given second, who will win.
Besides this yr, the needle might be on strike. Effectively, the those who run the needle, that’s.
My Poynter colleague, Angela Fu, reports, “Tech staff at The New York Occasions walked off the job early Monday morning and can proceed to strike till they attain a contract settlement with the corporate, a course of that would stretch by way of Election Day and its aftermath. The Occasions Tech Guild’s roughly 650 members embody engineers, mission and product managers, information analysts and designers whose work helps the Occasions’ digital operations together with its web site, apps and ‘election needle.’ Roughly 95% voted to authorize a strike in September.”
Fu has all the small print in regards to the negotiations.
Senior software program engineer and union store steward Kait Hoehne stated, “We’re demonstrating our labor energy by doing this, and it’s a second throughout which our labor may be very seen. We’re working across the clock to maintain the positioning up, to maintain all of our companies working. So this was our greatest probability to make it very clear what our contributions to the corporate are and why we matter and why we deserve a good contract.”
Occasions spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha wrote in an emailed assertion that the corporate desires to succeed in a good contract, and that the Occasions will proceed to cowl the election. She added, “We’re in probably the most consequential durations of protection for our readers and have strong plans in place to make sure that we’re in a position to fulfill our mission and serve our readers. Whereas we respect the union’s proper to have interaction in protected actions, we’re dissatisfied that colleagues would strike at the moment, which is each pointless and at odds with our mission.”
Poynter’s Angela Fu additionally stories, “In Baltimore, greater than 30 journalists on the Baltimore Solar Guild are collaborating in a weeklong byline strike that began Sunday. Tales penned by these reporters will probably be attributed to ‘Baltimore Solar Workers’ to sign to readers that workers are displeased with the paper’s administration.
And right here’s yet one more merchandise from my colleague, Angela Fu:
The New York Occasions surpassed 11 million subscribers and ended its third quarter within the black, the corporate announced Monday.
Through the quarter ending Sept. 30, the Occasions grew its adjusted working revenue 16.1% to $104.2 million, with a lot of that progress coming from digital subscription income. The Occasions added 260,000 digital subscribers to deliver its complete variety of subscribers to 11.09 million. Practically half of these subscribers pay for entry to a number of Occasions merchandise, which embody nytimes.com, sports activities website The Athletic, product suggestions website Wirecutter and the Cooking and Video games verticals.
“Our ends in the quarter and all yr present that we’re firing on all cylinders throughout the portfolio. We’ve been very, very centered on two issues, and I might say each are going properly. One is getting our information product and the remainder of the portfolio to drive very sturdy … subscriber engagement,” Occasions CEO Meredith Kopit Levien stated throughout an earnings name Monday. “Secondly, and that is sort of a more recent focus this yr, we’ve been intently centered on getting the approach to life merchandise to start to be extra highly effective funnels for the bundle (subscription).”
The Occasions reported $640.2 million in complete income, a 7% improve from the identical interval final yr. The corporate grew each subscription and promoting income, at the same time as some advertisers have continued to keep away from “sure laborious information subjects,” Kopit Levien famous.
For the primary time since its acquisition by the Occasions in 2022 for $550 million, The Athletic reported a quarterly revenue. It made $2.6 million final quarter, up from a $7.9 million loss throughout the identical interval final yr. The Occasions attributed the development to larger subscription and “different” revenues.
“The Athletic is already an essential part of our bundle providing in additional deeply partaking subscribers,” Kopit Levien stated. “We proceed to be happy with the general financial efficiency and path of The Athletic.”
Kopit Levien additionally highlighted the corporate’s investments in its audio and video choices. These modifications embody paid subscriptions for a number of Occasions podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, a brand new weekly podcast from Wirecutter and elevated availability of articles learn by automated voice.
Working prices on the Occasions elevated 5.4% to $563.5 million. The corporate famous that these prices embody $4.6 million in litigation prices stemming from its lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI. The Occasions sued each corporations final yr, alleging that they’d violated copyright regulation by utilizing Occasions content material with out permission.
Hours earlier than the Occasions reported its third-quarter earnings and fourth-quarter steering, unionized tech staff on the firm went on strike. Government vp and chief monetary officer William Bardeen stated on the decision that whereas the strike’s results will rely upon “additional developments,” the corporate had identified such a piece stoppage could be a chance. The forecasts printed within the Occasions’ Monday report incorporate “present finest estimates.”
“We’ve identified this was a chance and have ready for a variety of eventualities,” Bardeen stated. “We have now a observe file of working successfully with unions and proceed to purpose for a good contract.”
Through the name, Occasions executives averted instantly answering a query about whether or not the corporate had benefited from the latest controversies at The Washington Publish and Los Angeles Occasions. Each shops have skilled a wave of subscription cancellations after they declined to endorse a presidential candidate. As an alternative, readers appear to be redirecting their support towards shops which have made endorsements, like The Guardian and The Philadelphia Inquirer. (The New York Occasions endorsed Kamala Harris in September.)
“We take no pleasure in watching every other high quality, unbiased journalism establishment undergo something tough,” Kopit Levien stated. “We’re laser-focused on our personal technique and our personal progress trajectory, and we count on we’ll proceed to draw subscribers from all kinds of locations for all kinds of causes. I’ll go away it there.”
New York Occasions inventory was buying and selling at $52.45 a share Monday afternoon, down 7.7% from Friday’s shut.
Music producer and composer Quincy Jones, proven right here in 2014. (Drew Gurian/Invision/AP)
The nice music producer and author Quincy Jones has died. He was 91. Listed here are a number of the remembrances:
Have suggestions or a tip? E-mail Poynter senior media author Tom Jones at [email protected].
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