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August 27, 2020 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today. For other up-to-the-minute news, check out ITI’s Twitter account: @ITINewsBreaks. CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items.

'Providing Nuanced Information to Voters to Address Voting Disparities and Difficulties' by John Hernandez

In the midst of a national reckoning over voting by mail, the complicated, localized picture of how people actually vote needs more attention than ever. Some voters, especially first-time voters, may lack the knowledge to comfortably vote by mail or vote at all. Voters from some communities may prefer to vote in person. Others will face an onslaught of false or misleading information as voting gets underway. Almost 50% of voters surveyed by Pew Research expect to have some difficulties casting a ballot this year, a significant rise from 2018’s election cycle.

From now to Election Day, the public needs clear, consistent and accurate information about the logistics of voting during a pandemic to preempt the possibility of confusion and misinformation. That information should be posted in places where it can be easily found, and it should be repeated often. …

[S]teal some of these ideas from your colleagues to kickstart your coverage:

• Remind the public frequently by using automated tweets or other social media posts on a daily basis.
• Centralize voting information in a prominent area of your website, a social media post, or into newsletters.
• Ask people about their information needs using digital tools or text messaging services.
• Create materials that can be shared outside of your website on social media.
• Help the public with their questions or common mistakes that recur during the voting process, like signature issues or late ballots.

For more information, read the article.