Understanding Election Administration News Coverage and its Effects on Political Attitudes

The media is the primary way Americans learn about elections. Yet, there is little research on how news, including the selection and framing of stories, shapes American attitudes and beliefs about elections.

To explore the role media plays in elections, researchers conducted surveys and pored over thousands of transcripts and articles from local and national television news stations as well as local and national newspapers from 2016, 2018, and 2020.

Findings included:

• Stories on election administration and the logistics of voting, what researchers call voting process coverage (VPC), make up a large portion of election news coverage, especially leading up to and on Election Day.

• News outlets vary widely in the topics they cover, with some focusing more on potential fraud than others.

• Reporting about lines at the polls affects voter confidence in election administration. It also affects people’s intention to participate in future elections.

• News topics differ in presidential and midterm elections. VPC dominated in 2020. Stories about candidate races, including who is winning in the polls and who has more donations and endorsements, captured the spotlight in 2022.

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The MIT Election Data and Science Lab helps highlight new research and interesting ideas in election science, including through research grants under our Learning from Elections program.

The research highlighted on this page was conducted by Christopher Mann and Kathleen Searles, supported by funding from this program. The information and opinions expressed in these materials represent their own research, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the MIT Election Lab or MIT.

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Contributors

This research was conducted as part of the Learning from Elections initiative. It was authored by: 

• Christopher B. Mann, Skidmore College

• Kathleen Searles, Louisiana State University