Doubling down on voting rights coverage

I’m writing to share some important news as the 2020 election season intensifies.

The pandemic has disrupted voting in the United States. The conversion to mail-in balloting, and the health risks some voters could take to vote in person, could create new attempts at disenfranchisement. Who votes — and who doesn’t — are critical in telling the story of American elections. Misinformation that targets specific demographics, voter ID laws, the changing and shuttering of polling places and the access to and trust in mail-in ballots are all areas that could prove critical to the outcome of the election in November. And we are particularly focused on the tactics that reinforce systemic racism, and alienate voters of color from participating on Election Day.

To support this effort, AP and the Carnegie Corporation of New York are working together to ensure that this critical storyline is front and center in the AP report. One of the foundation’s key priorities is to ensure a vibrant democracy. They have pledged funding through March 2021 that will help us make AP reporters available to focus on this critical topic.

Like with all external support, the funding has gone through a standards review process, and AP retains complete editorial control over our journalism. Stories that are supported by the Carnegie money will carry language at the bottom of the story noting that support, as we do with our religion, HHMI’s Department of Science Education and Report for America collaborations.

Thanks to this support, we have expanded our voting rights team. The national politics team, led by U.S. Political Editor Steven Sloan, and key reporters, led by news editors Ken Guggenheim and Tom Verdin, will work closely together to develop coverage that can only be delivered by AP.

Voting Rights Team:

Data journalist Angel Kastanis, data

Technology editor Frank Bajak, technology/cybersecurity

State government reporter Christina Cassidy, voting machines

National security reporter Ben Fox, national security

Statehouse reporter Anthony Izaguirre, voting rights

Reporter Alan Suderman, voting rights

Politics reporter Nick Riccardi, vote-by-mail

Justice Department reporter Eric Tucker, national security

Reporter Astrid Galvan, Arizona

Correspondent Terry Spencer, Florida

Reporter Kate Brumback, Georgia

Reporter Corey Williams, Michigan

Statehouse reporter Bryan Anderson, North Carolina (Report for America)

Statehouse reporter Julie Carr Smyth, Ohio

Supervisory correspondent Scott Bauer, Wisconsin

Statehouse reporter Marc Levy, Pennsylvania

Correspondent Adrian Sainz, Tennessee

Statehouse reporter Acacia Coronado, Texas (Report for America)

Many thanks to Director of News Partnerships Lisa Gibbs, regional political editor Kathleen Hennessey and state government editor Tom Verdin, whose vision and plan for this coverage shaped the proposal and helped turn the collaboration into a reality.

Our journalism is strongest when we combine our subject matter expertise, data and geographic footprint. With the additional support from Carnegie, the AP is well positioned to break news. We are grateful for the support, and excited for all of the journalism to come.

Noreen