The State Board of Elections has published an online “Press Kit,” a one-stop shop for reporters and editors covering the 2020 general election.
The “Press Kit” includes general information and tips for voters, links to the election night reporting website, past presidential election results data and media contact information. It also includes links to information about COVID-19 safeguards at voting places, election security, voting equipment and more.
The “Press Kit” will be updated as additional information become available and as press releases are issued about the 2020 election in North Carolina.
Guidance for Press Coverage at Early Voting Sites and Election Day Precincts
With early voting beginning Thursday, the State Board issues the following guidance about laws and procedures for members of the press covering in-person voting in 2020.
Early voting begins Thursday, October 15, and ends Saturday, October 31. Election Day is November 3.
- If you are a member of the media and wish to photograph or record video at a polling place, please contact the elections director or media liaison in that county beforehand. They can help arrange a visit or contact the chief judge at a precinct. Find contact information for county boards of elections.
- Precincts designate a “buffer zone” near the entrance of a polling location. No electioneering or loitering is permitted inside the zone.
- Media representatives who wish to enter the voting enclosure must get the approval of the chief judge at the precinct. The chief judge may allow the media to photograph or record video inside the voting enclosure, with consent of the voter(s) being filmed or photographed. [N.C.G.S. § 163-166.3]
- The media may not interview voters within the voting enclosure.
- If you are photographing or videotaping a candidate in the voting enclosure, only the permission of the candidate (not the chief judge) is required.
- Reminder: It is a violation of law to photograph or videotape a marked ballot.
Questions? Please contact patrick.gannon@ncsbe.gov or the elections director in the relevant county.
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