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Who's running this election anyway?

Nicole Fallert   Paste BN

The 2024 election is going to make history.

In just two days, Americans in 15 states and one U.S. territory will head to polling centers to vote in presidential primaries and caucuses. Coined Super Tuesday, this day of elections is known to forecast who will be which presumed presidential nominees could be headed to November's general election.  

This primary season, however, has been far from traditional. Former President Donald Trump is expected to be the Republican nominee against incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden. But Super Tuesday could be former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's last shot at representing a competitive campaign against Trump, who has loomed large over the Republican Party as its de-facto leader.

At lot is at stake. So, are you ready? And, perhaps even more importantly, are state election workers prepared to meet the moment? I'll dive into that shortly.

Hi 👋 Nicole Fallert here and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for Paste BN subscribers (that's you!). This week, we talk with Paste BN elections correspondent Trevor Hughes about what challenges U.S. election administrators are facing ahead of Super Tuesday and what you need to know if you're casting a vote this week.

But first, don't miss these stories made possible by your Paste BN subscription:

Super Tuesday is a test for election offices nationwide

Think of a quirky workflow at your job that maybe only you or a few colleagues know how to do. Maybe it's a notorious shared document containing some shortcuts or an email draft your team copies and pastes daily.

For Lisa Lloyd, the longtime election clerk of tiny Lincoln County, Nevada, her workplace quirk was a little coding technique she and her peers used to correctly track and measure votes. This tactic was well-known among her fellow election officers and functioned for decades to make sure votes were recorded properly.

But Nevada, like many other U.S. states, has experienced major turnover among election works in recent years. Employees departed amid fears of intimidation and threats fueled by misinformation and partisan claims of election fraud.

In his report for Paste BN, Trevor Hughes found that this major departure of national election leadership has caused a drain of critical institutional knowledge behind the polls.

So when Nevada's vote database wrongly showed many people had voted, even though they hadn't, in the state's Feb. 6 presidential primary, calls of conspiracy and fraud immediately followed. But Lloyd, the last of an old guard, knew something was missing: New officers didn't know the internal workflow necessary to get correct election results. She had to send her new colleagues instructions via screenshot to fix the problem.

Hughes, who has been covering U.S. elections for more than 20 years, says Super Tuesday 2024 is coming at a unique moment not only for Americans looking to make a choice but also for people like Lloyd who are confronting a new reality of election administration. Fresh electoral leaders recruited from the tech and business industries are a good thing, Hughes says, because they can bring knowledge about security and administration that can improve elections. But the loss of experienced people could make it hard to resolve pivotal election issues in cases like Nevada's.

Trevor's tips for voting on Super Tuesday:

As much as Super Tuesday is a sacred opportunity for you to cast your vote, it's also a major test for some of America's most important workplaces to see if new employees can handle the pressure.

Hughes feels pretty good these teams can do the job. After interviewing election workers nationwide ahead of Tuesday's votes, Hughes said: "Every one of these staffers has been committed to running a clean, fair election. ... With any luck, most voters won't notice a change in how elections are administered or run."

That is − if people show up to vote. If you're like many Americans who feel apathetic about making a choice this year, Hughes says to remember that to vote for president is a right. And despite the high stakes of the moment, Hughes wants voters to keep their faith in the democratic process: "People still believe in the bedrock of elections. Just a small number of people have made a lot of noise about it."

Paste BN's elections team is here to help you make your choice. Susan Page is our Washington bureau chief providing expert analysis. Sudiksha Kochi keeps you updated as author of our OnPolitics daily newsletter. Rachel Looker is your Congress, campaigns and democracy expert. David Jackson is covering the biggest moments from the campaign trail. Check out Josh Meyer's reporting on all things Trump and the courts. And Phillip Bailey travels across the nation to hear the voting calls first. This incredible team has prepared everything you need to know ahead of Super Tuesday:

Thank you

Thank you for supporting our journalism with your subscription. Our work wouldn't be possible without you. 

Best wishes, 

Nicole Fallert

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