Votebeat Expands National Coverage to Safeguard 2026 Elections

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2026 – In a significant move to bolster public confidence in the democratic process, Votebeat, the nation's only nonprofit newsroom exclusively dedicated to covering election administration, today announced a major expansion of its national reporting capabilities. The initiative, supported by the bipartisan alliance More Perfect, is designed to provide clear, factual, and nonpartisan journalism about how elections are run as the country heads toward the 2026 midterm elections.

This expansion comes at a critical juncture when trust in democratic institutions faces sustained challenges from polarization and a volatile information environment. By strengthening the infrastructure for specialized election reporting, the partnership aims to equip communities with the knowledge needed to understand and navigate the complexities of the voting process.

"Trusted election information is essential to American democracy, yet too many communities lack the reporting and local expertise they need," said John Bridgeland, Founder & CEO of More Perfect. "Votebeat's deeply rooted, nonpartisan journalism helps Americans in local communities understand how elections work, the checks and balances to avoid error and fraud, and how they can engage in the process. More Perfect is proud to support this critical work during a defining moment for our country."

A Strategic Alliance Against Misinformation

The collaboration between Votebeat and More Perfect represents a targeted effort to counteract the erosion of trust in elections. More Perfect, an alliance of over 100 organizations including 43 Presidential Centers and the National Archives Foundation, is working to advance five core "Democracy Goals" ahead of the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026. This investment directly supports two of those pillars: Goal 4, which focuses on "Trusted Elections and More Representative & Responsive Governance," and Goal 5, which aims to ensure "Access to Trusted News and Information."

By funding Votebeat, More Perfect is investing in a journalistic model that prioritizes depth and expertise over the fleeting, often polarizing nature of the 24-hour news cycle. The alliance recognizes that rebuilding faith in the electoral system requires sustained, evidence-based reporting that explains the mechanics of voting, from local county offices to state legislatures.

"Elections don't happen in one news cycle, they happen every day in county offices, local courthouses, and state legislatures," said Carrie Levine, Votebeat's Editor in Chief. "More Perfect's support allows us to deepen our reporting and expand the trusted expertise communities rely on to understand how their elections are run."

Scaling Up Expertise for National Impact

At the heart of the expansion is a significant investment in journalistic talent and infrastructure. Votebeat plans to grow its national newsroom by hiring a new managing editor and an additional national reporter. The organization has already brought on Nathaniel Rakich, formerly a senior elections analyst at the data journalism site FiveThirtyEight, to serve as its new managing editor. Rakich’s background in data-driven analysis and his deep understanding of electoral systems are expected to bring a new layer of analytical rigor to Votebeat's coverage, enhancing its ability to explain complex trends and debunk sophisticated misinformation.

The expansion also includes scaling its real-time Elections Experts Desk into a permanent national resource. This desk will serve as a hub for tracking federal voting policy, legal battles, and cross-state trends, connecting the dots between local developments and the broader national landscape. The stated goal is to produce 100 national stories—nearly doubling the previous year's output—and to achieve 225 "documented measures of reporting influence." In the world of nonprofit journalism, such metrics go beyond simple page views, tracking tangible real-world impacts like policy changes, legislative citations, and corrective actions by public officials spurred by investigative work.

Filling the Void in Local Election News

This initiative also serves as a direct response to the well-documented crisis in local news, which has left many communities without reliable sources of information about how their local governments function—including the critical task of administering elections. Votebeat was founded in 2020 by Civic News Company, a publisher that also operates the specialized newsrooms Chalkbeat and Healthbeat, with the express mission of filling this gap.

Votebeat’s model is built on embedding reporters year-round in the communities they cover, with permanent newsrooms in the pivotal states of Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. These journalists produce on-the-ground reporting that explains complex voting procedures, identifies emerging challenges, and holds election officials accountable long before and after Election Day.

"Local election administration is where democracy is most tangible for voters, yet it's also where clear, sustained reporting is often hardest to find," said Elizabeth Green, Founder and CEO of Civic News Company. "With More Perfect's support, Votebeat can deepen its on-the-ground journalism and ensure communities across the country have access to trusted, nonpartisan reporting that helps them understand, and have confidence in, how their elections are run."

By focusing on the often-overlooked administrative details—such as voter registration systems, mail-in ballot processing, and polling place logistics—Votebeat's reporting provides a foundational layer of public knowledge. This approach is built on the premise that national confidence in democracy is ultimately constructed from local trust, and that such trust can only be fostered through transparent, accessible, and accurate information about the processes that underpin every vote.