Election departments are the source of official election information — and effective communication is necessary to become a more trusted messenger for your community.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this series is being provided at no cost to participants.
To combat the rise of election misinformation, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) launched #TrustedInfo2020, a new education campaign to promote election officials as the credible, verified source of election information. The goal of #TrustedInfo2020 is to drive voters directly to election offices’ websites and social media pages to ensure voters are getting accurate information.
Even with effective, coordinating messaging there is no guarantee that voters will find or understand the information they’re looking for. From election websites to social media pages, election communication needs to be clear, accessible, and user-friendly. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital communication of accurate, up-to-date election information is more important than ever.
That’s why we’re launching the training series Communicating Trusted Election Information. The first three courses cover best practices in election websites, social media, and accessible communications. The fourth course is new and introduces how your election office can identify and combat misinformation.
In a busy election year, communication is worth prioritizing. When you attend the courses, you’ll learn practical, easy-to-implement steps that can immediately help your voters find and understand the information they need to vote.
Curious if the courses are a good fit for you? If you are responsible for communicating with the public — especially if your office has limited or no communications staff — you’ll benefit from the training. And if you’ve taken the first three CTCL courses in 2017 or 2018, the content is similar, so you might consider them a timely refresher on the topics.
This 4-course series builds on the other CTCL COVID-19 resources provided at no cost to election officials.
Questions about the series? Email us at [email protected].
Orientation: Communicating Trusted Election Information
- Hear how national organizations and platforms are informing voters in 2020
- Recognize the important role election officials play in the civic information ecosystem
- Discover ways the online series can support your election office communications
Download the Orientation slides, PDF, 4 mb
Course 1: Improving Your Election Website
- Identify the top civic information people are looking for online
- Apply principles of plain language and design to your website
- Prioritize digital methods for building trust with your voters
Download the Participant Guide for Improving Your Election Website, PDF, 6mb
Download the slides for Improving Your Election Website, PDF, 1mb
Course 2: Accessible Communication for Election Offices
- Learn the principles of accessible communication and how they increase public trust
- Understand how people with disabilities experience information online
- Establish actionable guidelines for making your website more accessible
Download the Participant Guide for Accessible Communication for Election Offices, PDF, 12mb
Download the slides for Accessible Communication for Election Offices, PDF, 1mb
Course 3: Social Media for Voter Engagement
- Review what research tells us about how voters look for election information
- Know how to use social media to build trust with voters year-round
- Implement basic design principles to create engaging graphics
Download the Participant Guide for Social Media for Voter Engagement, PDF, 18mb
Download the Twitter Campaign Handout for Social Media for Voter Engagement, PDF, 138kb
Download the Social Media Calendar Template for Social Media for Voter Engagement, xlsx, 18kb
Download the slides for Social Media for Voter Engagement, PDF, 9mb
Course 4: Combating Election Misinformation
- Get familiar with terms and concepts related to information operations
- Identify different forms of misinformation, malinformation, and disinformation and how to respond
- Develop resilience with a defensive communications strategy
Download the Participant Guide for Combating Election Misinformation, PDF, 2mb
Download the Slides for Combating Election Misinformation, PDF, 14mb
Download the Misinformation Checklist, PDF, 121 kb