This policy explains how Politics Elections reports, sources, dates and corrects its articles. It applies to every article published since October 2026. Older articles in the archive are covered in the last section.
Sourcing standards
Official data first
Election numbers are sourced first to the offices that produce them. That means secretaries of state and state election boards, county election and recorder offices, and official state data portals for ballots, turnout, results and voting locations.
Federal figures come from the agency that publishes them, such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection for border data. Laws, rules and deadlines are sourced to statute, bill text, official voter guides or court records.
New articles link to official sources wherever possible. When a figure comes from a tracker or another news organization instead, the article names that source.
Other reporting
When a fact comes from another news organization’s reporting, such as a statement made to a local TV station or a detail from a court hearing, we name the outlet and link to its story. We don’t present another outlet’s reporting as our own.
Quotes
People are quoted in their exact words. Quotes are checked against the primary source, such as the speaker’s own post, an official release, a transcript or video, wherever one is available. If a quote comes from another outlet’s reporting, that outlet is named.
Polls and race ratings
- Polls are named by pollster and reported with its field dates, sample size, the population surveyed (for example, likely voters) and the margin of error as stated by the pollster.
- Results are reported as the pollster released them. When polls use different methods or questions, the article notes it.
- When a poll is linked, the link goes to the poll’s own release or to the news report that published it.
- Race ratings are attributed to the organization that issues them and dated.
- A single poll is reported as one poll, not as a prediction of the result.
How numbers are dated and updated
Numbers in election coverage change quickly. Articles built on changing figures carry a “Data as of” line with the date and time the figures were pulled, and the article notes when an official source has not posted complete or current numbers.
When an article is refreshed with newer figures, the “Data as of” line is updated to match. Time-sensitive voter information, such as early-voting locations and hours, is revised or removed once it no longer applies.
News and analysis
News articles report what happened and what the records show. Interpretation, argument and opinion appear only in material labeled Analysis, either a full piece marked Analysis or a section of an article set off under an Analysis heading. Readers should always be able to tell which is which.
Corrections and updates
How corrections are noted
When we publish a factual error, we fix it and add a dated note at the bottom of the article that says what was corrected, for example: “Correction, Oct. 20, 2026: An earlier version of this article misstated…” We don’t quietly rewrite errors.
How to request a correction
Use our Contact Us page and write “Correction” in the subject line. Include the article link, the passage you believe is wrong and, if you have one, a source showing the correct information. We review correction requests.
Bylines
New articles carry the byline Politics Elections Staff. Analysis and data pieces may carry Politics Elections Analysis Desk or Politics Elections Data Desk.
Images
Photos carry a credit line. We use official, public-domain, Creative Commons-licensed or permitted photos and don’t alter photos of real people beyond cropping. Any illustration is labeled as an illustration.
Advertising
Politics Elections is free to read and is supported by advertising served by Google. Ads are labeled as advertisements and are kept separate from article text. Advertisers have no say in what we cover. For how ads and cookies work on this site, see our Privacy Policy.
Archive articles
The Politics Elections archive dates back to 2017. Articles published before October 2026 were produced under earlier formats. They include opinion pieces that are not labeled Analysis, some carry bylines from earlier contributors, and they were not written to the standards on this page.
Contact
Questions, tips or corrections can be sent through our Contact Us page. Use of the site is governed by our Terms and Conditions.