Building Capacity to Use Social Media: How Election Officials Can Leverage Content Creation to Provide Accurate Voter Information
As traditional news declines, content creators play a growing role as information sources. This paper proposes frameworks for effective collaboration between creators and election officials and offers recommendations for officials to develop their own social media content.
Traditional information sources like newspapers and television are losing their influence. Today, Americans, particularly young adults, are turning away from legacy media and using social media as their primary source for news and information.
Because social media platforms are designed to encourage passive consumption, they risk exposing people to misinformation. To counter this, election officials must actively intervene to provide accurate, accessible, and trustworthy election information.
This paper examines how state and local election officials can understand and use the content creator landscape to spread credible election information online and meet voters where they are. By outlining the current social media atmosphere, exploring practical models for creator partnerships, and offering guidance for officials to develop their own engaging content, this guide provides a roadmap for modernizing voter outreach.
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Claire Simon is a research assistant with Democracy and the Informed Public and a sophomore at Harvard College, concentrating in Social Studies.
Rob Rock is the Deputy Secretary of State and Director of Administration for the Rhode Island Department of State.
Tommy Gong is the county clerk in Lane County, Oregon. Tommy previously served as the Chief Deputy County Clerk-Recorder for Contra Costa County and the elected County Clerk-Recorder for San Luis Obispo County.
Tova Wang is the director of research projects in democratic practice at the Ash Center. A longtime leader in election reform and increasing political participation among marginalized groups, she previously directed policy and research at the Center for Secure and Modern Elections and authored The Politics of Voter Suppression.
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the positions of the Ash Center or its affiliates.
Social media has become one of the primary ways that families, communities and societies stay connected. As its use becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, opting out can feel difficult for those who want to remain connected to others. At the same time, critics argue that people may be better off using social media less, or perhaps not at all. Why, then, do people continue to use products they may believe are ultimately harmful to their well-being?
The Program on Democracy and the Informed Public hosted a seminar with Cass Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard University and founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School.
How Americans Navigate Voting Information Ahead of the 2026 Midterm Elections
The Shorenstein Center’s 2026 Voting Information Trends project—developed in collaboration with the National Internet Observatory at Northeastern University, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation’s Program on Democracy and the Informed Public, and The Civic Health and Institutions Project—provides new insights into the voter information landscape in the United States ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Among the resources, an interactive dashboard maps where Americans are finding voting information and learning about key aspects of the voting process—from sourcing polling locations to voter registration. Also included are a series of trends reports gauging perceptions of voting in the lead up to the 2026 midterm elections.
Content Creators, Election Administration, and Voting: Can Social Media Be Used to Improve the Voter Information Environment?
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Social media has become one of the primary ways that families, communities and societies stay connected. As its use becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, opting out can feel difficult for those who want to remain connected to others. At the same time, critics argue that people may be better off using social media less, or perhaps not at all. Why, then, do people continue to use products they may believe are ultimately harmful to their well-being?
The Program on Democracy and the Informed Public hosted a seminar with Cass Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard University and founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School.
Members of the Ash Center’s Executive Session on Elections and Election Administration present a comprehensive strategy to recruit, support, and retain election administrators by reducing barriers to entry, strengthening professional networks, improving workplace support, and utilizing workforce data address burnout and prevent attrition.
How Americans Navigate Voting Information Ahead of the 2026 Midterm Elections
The Shorenstein Center’s 2026 Voting Information Trends project—developed in collaboration with the National Internet Observatory at Northeastern University, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation’s Program on Democracy and the Informed Public, and The Civic Health and Institutions Project—provides new insights into the voter information landscape in the United States ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Among the resources, an interactive dashboard maps where Americans are finding voting information and learning about key aspects of the voting process—from sourcing polling locations to voter registration. Also included are a series of trends reports gauging perceptions of voting in the lead up to the 2026 midterm elections.
