Rows of folding tables and empty chairs appear in Ballot Processing View 2. In Tabulation View 2, a man in a black T-shirt and shorts is seen rearranging papers near a waist-high machine.
Scenes broadcast live from Maricopa County, Arizona, of the 2024 election process may not make for the most captivating video. But the broadcasts, which are now online, and other similar live videos broadcast from election jurisdictions across the country have a serious goal: They are an effort by election officials to demystify voting and bring greater transparency to a process which in recent years has been subject to intense scrutiny, misinformation and false accusations of widespread fraud.
The rise in livestreaming of the election process, an operation conducted by local governments across the country, mirrors a broader rise in online video streams, according to Wendy Underhill, director of elections and redistricting at the National Conference of State Legislatures.
However, there is concern among officials that people who are not familiar with what happens on a live broadcast could misinterpret what they see and reach misleading conclusions.
Here’s a closer look at who’s broadcasting the elections and what you might see if you tune in.
Which states broadcast live elections?
National elections are held at the local level. There is no uniform standard or rule requiring live video streams, but several jurisdictions, including large ones and those in hotly contested states, conduct live streams. These include Philadelphia, Los Angeles County and King County, Washington state.
Arizona is an outlier because it has a state law requiring its counties to livestream the election process, Underhill added.
If you want to know more about whether your local government offers a livestream, contact them, said Tammy Patrick, program director for the National Association of Election Officials and former Maricopa County elections official.
What can I expect if I watch?
That varies by location. Arizona, for example, offers several views of different parts of the process, from the ballot boxes to the tabulation rooms.
Other places, like Philadelphia, have not yet started broadcasting. The city is scheduled to begin broadcasting on Election Day — Nov. 5 — at 7 a.m. Eastern Time. One thing the broadcasts will likely have in common is that the election processes they show can be slow-moving — the kind of methodical stuff that few would consider must-see TV.
People need to be patient as officials deal with a variety of circumstances, including having to carry ballots from polling places to processing centers, said Jennifer Morrell, CEO and co-founder of The Elections Group. Elections), which is made up of former state and local election officials who provide training and other support to officials across the country.
Partly because of technology, people are used to many things happening almost automatically, he said, but there are simply “logistical realities” that could make the process take longer. He cautioned that viewers should not make assumptions based on something they see on a live stream or a single moment in the vote-counting process, noting that leads can change: and a candidate who can be ahead at a moment’s notice of the count could be losing hours later. That’s not a sign of fraud. “I would just like to emphasize that people need to be patient,” he added.
How do I know what I see?
That is perhaps the most important question and a potential obstacle to transparency, Patrick said.
Officials have learned since 2020 — when live streaming grew in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic — that voters may not know or understand what they see on a screen, he said.
“The more transparent we can be, the better it will be,” Patrick stressed. “Just because you are transparent does not mean that individuals will necessarily know what they are seeing or understand what they are seeing.”
That could serve as a basis for someone to take something out of context. Partly to address that problem, some places have started posting signs to explain what poll workers do so viewers have a better idea of what’s happening on the screen, Patrick added.
One solution, Patrick suggested, is to get involved: Contact local and state officials, sign up for tours, apply to be a poll worker.
“There are many roles where you can educate yourself about all the safeguards that are in place to protect the system, to make sure that it is the eligible voters who participate,” he said. “And that’s, frankly, I think the best way to get involved. But you must be willing to accept the facts and the truth.”
