July 5, 2022

Creating a Media Guide

A simple media guide can help ensure journalists have access to important information about your elections. Making the media guide available on your election office’s website means it is both accessible at any time and easy to update.

Template for Creating a Media Guide

Open your website’s content management system and paste the text below onto a new or existing media guide web page. Next, fill in the relevant information, adjust the headers and content as needed, and then publish—or do the same using a document and ask your IT department for assistance with a web page.

Contact Information

• Name
• Title
• Office Number
• Cell Phone
• Email

Important Dates and Deadlines

• Candidate Qualifying Deadline
• Vote-by-Mail/Absentee Ballot Request Deadline
• Vote-by-Mail/Absentee Ballot Return Deadline
• First Day of Early Voting
• Last Day of Early Voting
• Election Day
• Hours Polls Are Open
• Election Certification Deadline
  • (Include information on early voting and Election Day sites that traditionally have the most voters. Make election workers aware of the possibility of media going to those sites, and be sure that the election workers are knowledgeable on procedures for interacting with the media).

Schedule of Events

Media Guidelines

• Before Election Day
• On Election Day/At Early Voting
• Permitted and Prohibited Activities

Exit Polling

Where Can I Get Results?

News/Press Releases

Vendor Information

Past Turnout Data