• by Sara Guaglione , September 22, 2020

On National Voter Registration Day today, Verizon Media announced its portfolio will roll out an Election 2020 content slate and voter registration initiatives, including new products, editorial series and immersive content.

“We’re dedicated to offering consumers a comprehensive experience and 360 approach to the issues, as well as the platforms, resources and tools they need to feel empowered when they cast their vote on Election Day,” stated Guru Gowrappan, CEO of Verizon Media. 

Leading up to the election, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo News and HuffPost will collaborate on four, hour-long specials each focused on a topic, including voting, the debates and COVID-19, the economy and social justice. 

The specials will air across Verizon Media and feature commentary from reporters and editors from each of its brands. 

A new Yahoo Election Hub serves as a one-stop platform, featuring original reporting from sources like Yahoo News, HuffPost, Yahoo Finance and TechCrunch, as well as curated coverage from The New York Times, USA Today, AP, Fox, Bloomberg and others.

It has polling data and a section on battleground states, fact-checked content and a Register to Vote module. A calendar shows when election-related live events will take place.

HuffPost also has an Election Hub, and a daily newsletter with 2020 updates and general election news.  HuffPost will provide results for key races, as enterprise policy reporters examine what the results mean for those that live far from D.C.

Yahoo Sports will launch “Voting Playbook,” an interactive map of the U.S. featuring instructional videos on the voting process in each state.

The videos will be hosted by various athletes, including Breanna Stewart, Calais Campbell, Ali Krieger, David Price, Cris Carter, Adrian Peterson, Shawn Johnson and Gerald McCoy. 

Users can hover over any state, then click to reveal each video. The videos also contain state-specific links to voter information, accessible voting and how to volunteer at the polls.

Yahoo News will launch a new explainer series. The team will also continue to release polling information in partnership with YouGov on subjects such as Trump’s approval ratings, key Senate races, and other topics. 

Yahoo Finance will publish stories and video analysis focused on the candidates’ economic policies. Coverage will focus on the financial markets on Election Day. 

Yahoo Mail is introducing a “Today” tab that will bring news, content and election coverage from the Yahoo ecosystem to Yahoo Mail users. It will be the first integration of its kind for the platform.

Verizon Media’s immersive content offerings will include cutouts of the candidates, 3D models of lecterns, 3D models of the electoral map, and other initiatives. On Election Day, the company will provide live results, live stream coverage of key events, commentary from editors and reporters and a live blog.

Last year, Verizon Media partnered with TurboVote to create Yahoo- and HuffPost-branded Voter Registration portals. 

Close to 20,000 Verizon Media users have since signed up with TurboVote to receive voter registration information.

Verizon Media also announced its U.S.-based staff will get four hours paid time off on Election Day to ensure they can get out and vote.

Separately, CNN launched a voter information guide today. Users select the state where they are registered to vote, and the tool connects them to important dates, deadlines and local voter resources.

The tool also lets users sign up for deadline reminders based on their state.

The voter guide was based on research that "indicated an opportunity to help CNN users stay up-to-date on changes to voting dates, deadlines, rules and procedures" during COVID-19, according to the company.

The Voter Information Guide is the second data-based personalized public service tool built this year by CNN.
In April 2020, CNN 411 launched to aggregate local COVID-19 data and health resources.