UC students gain field experience covering historic election

By Rebecca Schweitzer 

 On Nov. 3, millions of Americans lined up to cast their votes in a presidential election which would set records for highest voter turnout amid a pandemic and intense political polarization.

Journalism students from the University of Cincinnati's College of Arts and Sciences had the opportunity to be part of that history, working as correspondents for The Cincinnati Enquirer by covering polls on election day in Hamilton County.

But the work started prior to election day. Three teams of students from a News Collaborative class conducted virtual interviews with election officials in suburban Warren, Butler and Clermont counties and shared their reporting with the Enquirer for its pre-election coverage.

This was the third presidential election that UC students have covered for the newspaper.

UC associate professor of journalism Bob Jonason said the students covered a portentous time in American history.

“It's a great story to showcase the kind of on-the-ground experience that A&S gives our journalism students. It's also interesting from the standpoint of the extreme polarization of the electorate this year, and COVID's impact on how they could cover the election.”

For the Election Day assignment, students were split into groups and assigned to polling places to monitor the locations and interview voters, as well as tweet using the hashtag #vote2020enq. They also interviewed voters, took photos and videos and watched for excessive lines, machine malfunctions or voter intimidation.

For pre-election coverage, students virtually interviewed Board of Elections directors in designated counties – Butler, Warren and Hamilton – and contributed their reporting to special election coverage in the Enquirer. That reporting contributed to two newspaper stories prior to Election Day: "What will Election Day look like at polls? Lots of sanitizing and be prepared to wait" and "Ohio election: Voters waiting three to four hours in Clermont County."