While the 2002 and 2004 elections were certainly watched following the issues in Florida in 2000 and the implementation of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 this year could prove to be under the microscope more than any in the past. Not only will all eyes being the administration of elections this year because of the multitude of new laws and regulations governing how voters cast their ballots, but also because anyone on social media becomes a de facto “reporter.” With a little more than a month to go till Election Day 2012, elections officials and campaigns are hard at working making sure everyone is properly registered and that those who want a ballot will get a ballot. But they aren’t alone. In newsrooms across the country editors and reporters are plotting their November 6 course of action as well. Even for those of us who cover elections 24/7/365 there is planning to be done.
Pam Fessler with National Public Radio who has been covering elections for several cycles will be based in NPR’s Election Night headquarters in D.C. monitoring reports from around the country. “As always, I will be looking out for last-minute shenanigans – deceptive phone calls and other “dirty tricks” employed to influence whether voters do or don’t show up at the polls,” Fessler said. “ I will also be looking for how smoothly things are going throughout the day, and what, if any, concerns are raised.”
Fessler said that she finds warnings about huge election-day disasters seldom come to pass, but that there is always something that pops up that no one expected. “Our elections are so closely watched these days by so many groups, that it’s hard for anything to go wrong without it being reported,” Fessler said. “My job will be to try to sort fact from fiction, and to put it in perspective.”
Full Article: electionlineWeekly.