The journalism veteran and former news executive leads the North Carolina Local News Workshop, a statewide initiative housed in the School of Communications that provides programming, resources and ongoing support for organizations working to inform North Carolina residents about state and local issues.
By Melanie Sill,
Executive Director, NC Local News Workshop
Elections are the most important part of a democracy where the people get to vote for their government leaders, and the NC Local News Workshop supports North Carolina residents seeking good information and the local journalists who aim to bring you up-to-date, accurate information about the election process, the sentiment of the local community, and results as they are reported after the polls close on Nov. 3.
It is important as audience members to understand, as election results are published, that early results may not reflect the final outcome. We should all pay attention to what percentage of the vote has been tabulated and the number of absentee ballots that still need to be counted. Media organizations may “call” races based on projections, but results on election night are unofficial until certified by county boards of elections (beginning Nov. 13) and the state Board of Elections (scheduled for Nov. 24).
The NC BOE expects 97 percent of the vote to be counted on Election Night, but mail-in ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 can be received and counted through Nov. 12. Close races may not be decided until all ballots are counted. We can help the cause of accurate journalism by taking care to be news literate, to avoid sharing or spreading false information, even as we expect local journalists to provide accuracy and context in their reporting.
Check the ncnewsworks.org website for our “Answer Bank” and other resources in support of local journalism for #Election2020.