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10 tips for content creators covering U.S. elections

The Journalist's Resource · Erin Zimmer Strenio · last updated August 27, 2026 – 8:46 AM

About 20% of Americans — and 37% of adults under 30 years old — rely on social media content creators for news and political updates, according to the Pew Research Center.

But there’s no verification badge or way of proving that information shared and reshared across social media is trustworthy or accurate. It’s easy for misinformation to spread rapidly, which can have dangerous repercussions for our democracy — especially when it comes to elections.

Content creators can play an important role during election cycles. They can point people to trustworthy resources — ideally straight to election officials. Many state and local election officials have social media pages where they post voter registration reminders, upcoming election dates and other timely updates.

By directing voters to election officials’ social media pages, as well as their websites and other materials, content creators can help voters quickly and easily find critical information, which they can then share with their followers.

You don’t need to be a political content creator to share voting information. Over 60% of adult citizens have never been asked to register to vote, according to another Pew study. That means your voice could be the first they hear, even if you don’t usually discuss politics or elections.

Even basic information on how and when to register can be helpful, as many people struggle to get dates and deadlines on their calendars in time, or don’t realize they need to update their registration if they’ve recently moved. This can make the difference between someone voting or not voting. And in tight races, small margins make a meaningful difference.

Here are 10 tips for content creators covering election season.

1. Follow your state election offices on social media, and reshare their content with your audience.

Many state and county election offices are on social media, especially Instagram and Facebook. Follow them for up-to-date voting information and re-share it with your audience. With the dangerous spread of election misinformation and disinformation, it’s critical to share accurate information from trustworthy sources.

Your followers may not know they can follow their election officials on social media — you can help establish them as a trusted resource.

2. It’s hard to keep track of election dates. Share short reminders about upcoming key dates.

Primary elections are happening across states — in many states, they’ve already happened. In some states, special elections are happening too. It’s hard for voters to keep track of all these dates, so a short reminder can help get them on their calendars.

The U.S. Vote Foundation is a helpful resource for checking election dates by state.

3. Remind voters they need to update their information if they’ve moved since the last election.

Whenever you move, even within a state, you must update your voter registration — it won’t be automatically updated for you. Many voters don’t realize this until they show up to vote, and by then it can be too late.

Remind voters to double check their registration in advance. Each state has its own deadline — there’s no national deadline. In some states voters must update their registration well in advance, up to 30 days before Election Day.

4. Election Day isn’t usually results day. Prepare your followers for delayed results.

Many voters expect to find out who won on Election Day. This can be true for some races, but isn’t always the case. Content creators can prepare voters to wait for results by explaining that waiting is part of a secure voting process.

Election officials follow required procedures to count every ballot, including mailed ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive days later. Your followers probably don’t realize all the steps that go into this process — you can share more to help them better understand that delayed results don’t mean anything has gone wrong.

In fact, it means the country’s election systems are working.

5. Ask for a behind-the-scenes tour at your state or local election office, or set up an ask-me-anything with an election official.

Some election offices offer tours so the media can photograph and get video footage as they perform required tests of voting machines to make sure they’re operating correctly.

Take advantage of these opportunities.

You can also request an ask-me-anything interview with an election official and pose questions straight from your followers. Some states will allow cameras inside polling locations when voters aren’t present.

6. Remind voters of their rights.

Many voters don’t realize they have certain rights and access to accommodations to help them vote.

Voters can:

Bring someone to a polling location for support, including a service animal.
Request large-print ballots and wheelchair-accessible voting locations, in addition to other accessibility accommodations.
Ask for translation support if they don’t speak English as a first language.

7. Voting by mail and early voting are becoming more popular, and are both safe options.

Early voting has become increasingly popular. It’s often faster than waiting in lines on Election Day. Remind your followers to check early voting dates in their state.

Voting by mail is another safe option if voters don’t want to go in person. It’s also not new.

Did you know that 150,000 soldiers voted by mail during the Civil War, and the military continues to vote by mail today?

Election officials make sure mail votes are counted accurately by issuing bar codes on ballots and return envelopes, verifying signatures through online databases, and other required steps.

8. Encourage members of your audience to serve as poll workers — these are our neighbors, coworkers and friends.

Millions of people are poll workers — your followers can be part of that number.

Serving as a poll worker is a great way to feel connected with your community and make sure your local elections run smoothly and securely. Plus, poll workers get paid for their time.

Learn more about how to become a poll worker.

9. Share your own voting experience.

Your followers trust you, so hearing about your voting experience — how you researched the candidates, how long it took to vote, how you felt after you voted— can inspire them to feel empowered to vote too.

10. Point people to trustworthy, nonpartisan sources.

Voting misinformation and disinformation has disastrous impacts on our democracy. Stick to nonpartisan sources that your followers can trust. Many of these sources have helpful tools and other materials to guide your voters through the voting process:

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