National Press Club

FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub to keynote Sept. 3 Journalism Institute workshop on unpredictable election scenarios

Holly Butcher Grant

August 26, 2020

FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub will deliver the keynote address at the National Press Club Journalism Institute's workshop on possible scenarios for the 2020 presidential election.

The workshop will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3. Registration is now open. Spots are limited.

It is designed to bring journalists together with experts to answer questions and discuss scenarios that could develop this fall, and how to cover them.

After Weintraub's remarks, participants will join small breakout groups on one of four topics:

  • Voting rights, access and possible pandemonium on Election Day, led by Sylvia Albert, director of voting and elections at Common Cause

  • Mail-in ballots and U.S. Postal Service readiness, led by David Becker, executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research 

  • Foreign interference, led by Maria Barsallo Lynch, executive director of the Defending Digital Democracy Project

  • Contested election results, led by Rick Hasen, chancellor’s professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine

Following the breakout discussions, participants will reconvene to learn about story ideas and reporting tips generated by each group. 

During registration, participants will be asked to indicate their first choice for a breakout group, and the institute will try to accommodate all requests. Those accepted into the program will receive a Zoom link. Others will be added to a waiting list and be notified of that,

The Journalism Institute has added weekly programming, a daily newsletter, a daily writing group, and other support for journalists since March, and has waived fees for everything due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please consider a donation of $5, $10, or whatever you can contribute.

Also scheduled is a program on Journalists in peril: Creating a safer, equitable future together with Jill Geisler, Alex Marquardt, Sarah Matthews, Abby Phillip and Michael Santiago from 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Watch recordings or read recaps of previous Journalism Institute programs here.