How we're covering the election

Good morning LOOKOUT readers!

We brought back our "Eyes on the State" newsletter early this year to let you know about what we're doing to cover the election through the week.

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. Not just for those of us in newsrooms, but also for anybody who is doing anything election-related—that means poll workers, campaign staff, volunteers, and even people like you who may be going to vote in person.

We are a small team, so we can't monitor everything. Instead, we’ll be focusing on a handful of races we have identified that are important to Arizona’s LGBTQ+ communities—primarily on down ballot issues. We will be posting results of the elections on our main article page here.

We are partnering with the Associated Press which—with the generous support of the Knight Foundation—is giving us the ability to bring you election results that are tested, true, and verified. Feel free to bookmark this page, or visit it throughout the day to read about what’s happening and what we’re learning throughout the week.

We also are working alongside the Queer News Network, which hired student journalists from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism to monitor what’s happening in races across the country from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. EST.

For those of you who want to be plugged in nationally, we recommend this fantastic cheat sheet on key races and ballot measures across the nation by Bolts Magazine.

Things to know this week:

1- We may not know who wins what races tomorrow night. If the polls are to be believed, a handful of states—including Arizona—are going to be neck-and-neck for federal elections. We are expecting the same in local races. Polls open at 6 a.m. across the state, and close at 7 p.m. Arizona does not release ballot counts until all precincts have reported, or one hour after polls close, whichever comes first. You can view the results when they go live on our elections page here.

2- Between when the polls close and the races are called is when misinformation is spread on ballot numbers, results, or influence. Be cautious of what you share on social media and what you read online. If you see something that you think is worrisome, feel free to DM us on our Instagram, our X account, or email us at info@lookoutphx.org and we’ll do our best to help you make sense of it.

3- If you are voting in person, do not forget that so long as you were in line before the polls close at 7 p.m., you are allowed to cast your ballot. This year’s ballot in Arizona is incredibly long, and very complex. So be sure to budget plenty of time to make your decisions. If you don’t know your polling locations, click here to see where you can cast your vote.

4- Don’t be afraid to turn off the news—and that includes us! Sure, we’d love it if you kept going to our site for results. But don’t forget that this race has been emotionally charged, and a lot is at stake for not just people in our community, but for the world. Be sure to take time for yourself and your health. And if that means turning off the news for the day, then do so.

If you have other questions on how to report voter intimidation, learn about election observers, or what to do if you experience problems while voting, you can visit the AZ Sec. of State page on elections here.