2024 Elections Topical Guide

A style guide for the 2024 elections, based on the AP Stylebook and common usage in AP stories.

Follow the AP's coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

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Election Day, election night

In the U.S., elections are no longer limited to a single day; millions cast ballots by advance voting. The term Election Day may still be used for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November for U.S. elections. Also use Election Day at other times of the year for lower-level elections, including primary elections, and for the day of elections outside the U.S.

Use lowercase election night in all cases.

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voting

Elections are not limited to a single day. By the time Election Day arrives, millions of people will have submitted ballots. Thus, do not use phrasing such as voters cast ballots in Tuesday's election ... Instead: Voting concluded Tuesday ...

While federal law establishes basic voting rights, specific laws governing voting and election administration are left to the states. Many states made significant changes to their laws in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. Some Republican-led states passed measures including laws that tighten voter ID requirements, restrict mail balloting and early in-person voting; and make it easier to remove voters from the rolls. Several Democratic-led states passed measures making it easier to receive and return mailed ballots. It will take time to assess the long-term effects of these laws on voter participation.

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advance voting, absentee voting, early voting, mail-in voting, mailed ballots

Electoral systems that allow voters to cast ballots before the day of an election are broadly known as advance voting. Each state has its own procedures for advance voting, which may include voting by mail, voting absentee or voting in person before Election Day.

Twenty-nine states offer "no-excuse" mail balloting, which means any voter can request and cast an absentee/mail ballot without providing a reason, while eight states and the District of Columbia send a mail ballot to all registered voters. Some Republican lawmakers have been critical of mail voting, claiming it's susceptible to fraud, although there is no evidence of any widespread fraud associated with this — or any — form of voting.

Virtually every state and the District of Columbia offer some form of early in-person voting. How long it's allowed before Election Day varies by state. Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire either don't allow early voting or strictly limit it to certain groups of voters, such as disabled people or those who will be traveling on the day of the election. In North Dakota, individual counties can decide whether to offer it.

The term advance voting is preferred in states where voters have several options to vote before Election Day. In the states that conduct elections primarily by mail, mail-in voting, mail voting and mailed ballots are all acceptable. Hyphenate as a compound modifier: advance-voting procedures, mail-in voting, absentee-ballot votes.

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votes counted, votes cast

When describing election returns, it often is most accurate to describe totals as a subset of votes counted, and not votes cast. The total and final number of votes cast is usually not available until several days or weeks after an election. Example: Hernandez had a lead of about 500 votes of more than 1.1 million votes counted.

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AP VoteCast

Launched in 2018, AP VoteCast is a comprehensive survey of voters and nonvoters that aims to tell the story behind the election results. Conducted for The Associated Press and Fox News by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, it is a detailed snapshot of the American electorate that helps explain who voted, who didn't vote, what issues they care about, how they feel about the candidates, and why they voted the way they did.

Here is an explainer for reference: https://www.ap.org/elections/our-role/ap-votecast/

VoteCast, the poll and the survey are acceptable on second reference. Do not refer to VoteCast as an exit poll.

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exit poll

In the U.S., a survey of voters conducted by the National Election Pool (CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC) using a methodology based primarily on in-person interviews at polling places. AP staff must not refer to or cite exit poll results without clearance from Emily Swanson, AP's director of public opinion research.

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election returns

Election returns are usually outdated as soon as they are published and should therefore be used sparingly in stories/scripts — especially shortly after polls close and the vote count is beginning. Early returns often do not provide an accurate reflection of the ultimate outcome, especially in states that take days or weeks to count votes cast in advance and provisional ballots.

It is often better to characterize the state of the vote count, rather than report it directly:

Cruz took an early lead shortly after polls closed in Texas. As midnight approached on the East Coast, Clinton led Trump by roughly 2 percentage points in Nevada. As of Wednesday morning, Trump was ahead of Clinton by fewer than 20,000 votes in Michigan out of 4.7 million votes counted.

Do not use an "exact" vote count, such as 134,654 to 122,991, because those numbers are often outdated seconds later and can continue being updated for weeks to come.

Once a race is called, it is best to use percentage points to describe the scale of a candidate's victory. Trump beat Clinton by roughly 1 percentage point in Wisconsin.

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race call

AP calls winners of elections in the United States based on an analysis of the vote count, polling research and other data. An AP race call is not a projection. Once AP has called a race, our stories say candidate X has won, without attribution to the race call.

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Electoral College

But electoral vote(s), lowercase. The process by which the United States selects its president.

The "college" consists of 538 electors. Each state gets as many electoral votes as it has members of Congress (535 total), and the District of Columbia gets three. To be elected president, the winner must get at least half the total plus one, or 270 electoral votes. Most states give all their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins that state's popular vote.

The electoral system has delivered a split verdict five times, most recently in 2016, with one candidate winning the popular vote and another the presidency. If no candidate receives 270 electoral votes, Congress selects the president and vice president.

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noncitizen voting

Only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in federal elections for president and Congress, and anyone attempting to break the law faces the possibility of fines, prison and deportation.

Illegal voting by noncitizens has never been a significant problem in any state, and there is no indication of any scheme to register migrants for this year's elections. State data shows that it's exceptionally rare for noncitizens to attempt to register and cast a ballot illegally.

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disputed election

Use care and caution with terms such as disputed election and disputed victory. They require assessing whether the outcome is truly in doubt or unknown, based on reputable sources of information about accuracy and completeness of the vote count.

Do not automatically use disputed when reporting on recounts, which are required by many states (or may be requested by candidates at no cost) in closely contested elections.

Do not describe an election as disputed based on the claims of a candidate who disagrees with the outcome but is unable or unwilling to provide evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

If a candidate questions the results of an election without providing evidence, avoid making that the lead, and be sure to add immediately that no evidence was offered.

If a candidate declares victory before the AP has called a race, it can be noted in a story or scripts, though it should not be included in a headline, lead or banner. Consider whether a candidate's claims are reasonable, or if they are deliberately or obviously untrue, and address accordingly. Any such reporting should quickly note that The Associated Press has not declared a victor.

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poll monitors, poll watchers, poll monitoring, poll watching

The terms poll watchers, poll monitors and citizen observers are interchangeable, and they can be partisan or nonpartisan.

Nonpartisan poll watchers are trained to monitor polling places and local elections offices that tally the votes, looking for irregularities or ways to improve the system. Partisan poll watchers are those who favor particular parties, candidates or ballot propositions and monitor voting places and local election offices to ensure fairness to their candidates or causes. They can make note of potential problems as a way to challenge the voting or tabulating process.

Poll watchers in most cases are not allowed to interfere with the conduct of the election, but a handful of states passed laws since the 2020 election that limit the restrictions local election officials can place on them. This gives poll watchers greater access to ballot counting and processing. In some states, they are allowed to challenge individuals' eligibility to vote; in those cases, a voter may need to file a provisional ballot.

Hyphenate as an adjective: poll-monitoring procedures. No hyphen as a noun: They are expanding poll monitoring.

Do not use voter protection workers.

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election certification

In the weeks after Election Day, local election officials meet to ensure that all votes were cast and counted correctly — checking lists of voters in pollbooks against the number of ballots cast, testing voting machines for accuracy and researching any discrepancies — before results become official.

Results are then sent to a local board for certification, and then to the state for further certification. In all but a handful of states, the process is in the hands of people linked to political parties. For generations, this process drew little public attention, but in recent years some boards have balked at certifying the results, citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud or other wrongdoing.

Those handling certification generally do not have authority to investigate allegations of fraud or other problems. Most state laws make this clear, and some states have taken additional steps since the 2020 election to ensure that certification boards cannot refuse to certify official results. It's up to prosecutors and the courts to handle claims that elections were mishandled or results wrongly tallied, challenges that would be filed by candidates or political parties. Judges can delay or halt certification if there are questions surrounding an election.

In presidential elections, states submit a certificate to Congress identifying the electors for the winner. Congress passed a series of reforms clarifying this process in 2022. Among other things, the Electoral Count Act specifies that Congress can accept only the slate of electors submitted by governors (unless state law says otherwise) and that it takes one-fifth of the House and the Senate to object to any state's electors.

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false 2020 election claims

Former President Donald Trump is repeating his false claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election as he seeks a return to the White House. There was no widespread fraud, and Trump lost in the Electoral College and popular vote. Multiple reviews, recounts and audits in the presidential swing states where Trump disputed his loss have all affirmed Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election. Judges, some appointed by Trump, rejected dozens of lawsuits filed by the former president's team, and his own attorney general said there was no evidence of widespread fraud that could have changed the results.

The falsehoods nevertheless have had deep consequences. Many Americans believe Biden was not legitimately elected and that basic tools of the election system, such as voting machines, mailed ballots or ballot drop boxes, can be manipulated to rig elections. There is no evidence, from any state, of widespread fraud associated with any of these. The falsehoods also have created doubts about the people who administer elections at the state and local level. This has led to harassment, threats and staff turnover.

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misinformation, fact checks, fake news

The term misinformation refers to false information shared about a particular topic that could be mistaken as truth. It can include honest mistakes, exaggerations, and misunderstandings of facts, as well as disinformation, which refers to misinformation created and spread intentionally as a way to mislead or confuse.

Misinformation can be transmitted in any medium, including social media, websites, printed materials and broadcast. It includes photography or video and audio recordings that have been created, manipulated or selectively edited.

The term typically excludes opinions, as well as satire and parody. It does include hoaxes, propaganda and fabricated news stories.

Avoid the term fake news other than when directly quoting someone using the term. Alternative wording includes false reports, erroneous reports, unverified reports, questionable reports, disputed reports or false reporting, depending on the context. If the term fake news is used in a direct quotation, push for specifics about what is meant.

Fact-checking is essential in debunking fabricated stories or parts of stories, or other misinformation. This requires reporting or research to verify facts that affirm or disprove a statement, or that show a gray area.

The goal of fact-checking is to push back on falsehoods, exaggeration and political spin, and to hold politicians and public figures accountable for their words. Basic fact-checking should always be part of the main story, including wording noting when an assertion differs with known facts. Often, however, additional reporting is required to explore disputed points or questions more fully.In those cases, separate stories may need to be done. Some points:

Present the assertion that's being checked, and quickly state what's wrong with it or what is correct. Use the exact quote or quotes that are being examined. Follow with the facts, backed by appropriate citations and attribution.

Stick to checking facts, rather than opinion. A person's personal tastes and preferences might lie outside the mainstream, but as opinions they are not a topic for a fact check.

When fact-checking, stories need not show statements to be clearly correct or clearly incorrect. Words can be true, false, exaggerated, a stretch, a selective use of data, partly or mostly true, etc. Use the most apt description that's supported by what the facts show.

If a statement can't be confirmed, or can't be immediately confirmed, say so. But describe the efforts made to confirm it.

Usage notes: fact check and fact-checking (n.), to fact-check (v.)

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OTHER TERMS

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campaign manager

Do not treat as a formal title. Always lowercase.

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Congress, congressional

Capitalize Congress when referring to the U.S. Senate and House together. The adjective is lowercase unless part of a formal name.

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conservative

Lowercase in referring to a political philosophy.

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democrat, Democrat, democratic, Democratic, Democratic Party

For the U.S. political party, capitalize Democrat and Democratic in references to the Democratic Party or its members. Lowercase in generic uses: He champions the values of a democratic society. Use Democratic, not Democrat, in usages such as the Democratic-controlled Legislature and the Democratic senator (except in direct quotations that use Democrat).

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democratic socialism

A political ideology embraced by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others. Not synonymous with socialism. Do not capitalize unless a candidate stands for office as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.

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district

Spell it out, use an ordinal number and capitalize district in a proper name: the 2nd District, the 3rd Congressional District.

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EMILY's List

Use in all references to the political fundraising organization that focuses on electing women who support abortion rights. It is an acronym for Early Money Is Like Yeast.

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female, woman

If elected, Kamala Harris would be the first female president or the first woman to be elected president. The phrasing first woman president is acceptable but not preferred because it can be grammatically awkward, especially if the words man or men would not be used adjectivally in a parallel sense. See the full female, male entry in the Stylebook for more detail.

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first gentleman

If Kamala Harris is elected and inaugurated as president, her husband, Douglas or Doug Emhoff, would become the first gentleman of the United States. He is currently the second gentleman of the United States. The terms first lady, first gentleman, second lady and second gentleman are always lowercase, even before a name.

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fundraiser, fundraising

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hand-count, hand-counting, hand-counted

With a hyphen in all uses: Hand-counting resumed Wednesday. They hand-counted the ballots. (Or: The ballots were counted by hand.) The hand-counted ballots were added to the results. They seek to expand the hand-count of ballots. (Or ... the hand-counting of ballots; either is fine).

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Jan. 6

Acceptable on first reference for the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Describing it as a violent attack or riot is also acceptable. Do not refer to it as 1/6.

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leftist, ultra-leftist, left-wing

Avoid these terms in favor of more precise descriptions of political leanings and goals.

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liberal, liberalism

Lowercase in reference to a political philosophy.

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long shot

Use two words for this term describing a big underdog.

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MAGA

The acronym for the Trump campaign's 2016 slogan, "Make America Great Again." It has since become a general synonym for Trumpism and a descriptor of Trump policies and supporters; some people refer to MAGA Republicans, and President Joe Biden has deplored the "ultra MAGA agenda."

The acronym is acceptable on first reference, but explain it shortly thereafter: MAGA is short for the 2016 Trump campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again."

Terms such as Trump supporters are more clear around the world and can be a better choice, depending on the specifics involved in a given story.

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majority leader, minority leader

Capitalize as a formal legislative title before a name; otherwise lowercase.

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PAC

Acronym for political action committee. Raises money and makes contributions to campaigns of political candidates or parties. At the federal level in the U.S., contribution amounts are limited by law and may not come from corporations or labor unions. Enforcement is overseen by the Federal Election Commission. PAC is acceptable on first reference; spell out in body of story.

A super PAC is a political action committee that may raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, including from corporations and unions, to campaign independently for candidates for U.S. federal office. Its activities must be reported to the FEC, but it is not otherwise regulated if not coordinated with the candidate or campaign.

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party affiliation

A candidate's political party is essential information in any election, campaign or issue story. See the full party affiliation entry.

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political parties and philosophies

Capitalize both the name of the party and the word party if it is customarily used as part of the organization's proper name: the Democratic Party, the Republican Party.

Include the political affiliation of any elected officeholder.

Capitalize Communist, Conservative, Democratic, Liberal, Republican, Socialist, etc., when they refer to a specific party or its members. Lowercase these words when they refer to political philosophy (see examples below).

Lowercase the name of a philosophy in noun and adjective forms unless it is the derivative of a proper name: communism, communist; fascism, fascist. But: Marxism, Marxist; Nazism, Nazi.

EXAMPLES: John Adams was a Federalist, but a man who subscribed to his philosophy today would be described as a federalist. The liberal Republican senator and his Conservative Party colleague said they believe that democracy and communism are incompatible. The Communist Party member said he is basically a socialist who has reservations about Marxism.

Generally, a description of specific political views is more informative than a generic label like liberal or conservative.

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policymaker, policymaking

One word for each.

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polls and surveys

Consult the detailed chapter in the AP Stylebook on how to use results of public opinion surveys and avoid exaggerating the meaning.

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possessive form

SINGULAR PROPER NAMES ENDING IN S: Use only an apostrophe: Harris' campaign, Descartes' theories, Dickens' novels, Hercules' labors, Kansas' schools.

SINGULAR PROPER NAMES NOT ENDING IN S: Add 's: Walz's selection, the Catholic Church's needs, the Mackinac Bridge's towers.

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precinct

A fixed area into which a municipality is divided for voting purposes.

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precincts reporting

Avoid the term in stories/scripts. In states with large numbers of advance votes, the number of "precincts reporting" may just be one but account for a large percentage of the total vote. Even with 100% of precincts reporting, there may be a substantial number of ballots left to be counted.

The preferred data point is AP's estimate of the outstanding vote, which should be used in all AP graphics and other data visualizations instead of precincts reporting.

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majority, plurality

A majority is more than half the votes cast; a plurality is the largest number of votes but less than a majority.

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preelection, reelection, reelect (no hyphen)

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president, vice president

Capitalize these titles before names; lowercase in other uses. No hyphen in vice presidential as adjective: the vice presidential candidate.

Notes on Vice President Kamala Harris; her running mate, Tim Walz; and former President Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance:

Kamala Harris On first reference, she should be referred to as Vice President Kamala Harris or Kamala Harris, the vice president. Harris would be the first Black woman, the first Asian American and the first South Asian American to be elected president. Her father, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Jamaica, is Black. Her late mother was born in India. Her first name is pronounced KAH'-mah-lah, with the emphasis on the first syllable. The possessive form of her last name is Harris', not Harris's.

Donald Trump In keeping with AP's general practices, no middle initial for the former president.

JD Vance No periods in the initials of the U.S. senator from Ohio who is the Republican nominee for vice president in 2024. Retain the periods if they appear in directly excerpted material.

Tim Walz The possessive form of the last name of the Minnesota governor who is the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024 is Walz's, not Walz'. It is pronounced WALZ', not WALTS'.

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presidential, presidency

The first term is lowercase except as part of a formal name; presidency is always lowercase.

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presidential election

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press secretary

Lowercase unless part of a formal title.

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progressive, progressivism

Lowercase in reference to a political philosophy.

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ranked choice voting

An electoral system in which voters rank their choice of candidate by ordered preference, with those rankings used to determine a winner in the event no candidate wins a majority of ballots on which they appear as voters' first preference. No hyphen in the compound modifier. Ranked voting is acceptable on subsequent references and in headlines. Avoid the abbreviation RCV unless in quotations.

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supermajority

A requirement that a proposal or candidate gain a level of support that exceeds the threshold of a standard 50% plus one majority, such as two-thirds or three-fifths.

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Republican, Republican Party

Both terms are capitalized. GOP, standing for Grand Old Party, may be used on second reference.

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rightist, ultra-rightist, right-wing

Avoid these terms in favor of more precise descriptions of political leanings.

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representative, Rep.

Use Rep., Reps. as formal titles of House members before one or more names. Spell out and lowercase representative in other uses.

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spokesperson

In general, use the gender-neutral term spokesperson unless the -man or -woman terms are requested by an organization or individual.

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U.S. Postal Service

Use U.S. Postal Service or the Postal Service on first reference. Retain capitalization of Postal Service in subsequent references to the agency.

Lowercase the service when it stands alone. Lowercase post office in generic references to the agency and to an individual office: I went to the post office. Do not use USPS.

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POLITICAL IDIOMS

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"alt-right"

A political grouping or tendency mixing racism, white nationalism, antisemitism and populism. Avoid using the term generically and without definition. When discussing what the movement says about itself, the term "alt-right" (quotation marks, hyphen and lowercase) may be used in quotes or modified as in the self-described "alt-right" or so-called alt-right.

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antifa

Shorthand for anti-fascists, an umbrella description for the far-left-leaning militant groups that resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations and other events. Include a definition in close proximity to first use of the word.

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battleground states, swing states

What are known as battleground states are those where candidates from both major political parties have a reasonable chance for victory in a statewide race or presidential vote.

The term swing state is used for a state that has gone back and forth between voting for the Republican and Democratic nominees in recent presidential elections.

The two terms can be used interchangeably. In recent election cycles, all the battleground states also have swung between voting for Democratic and Republican nominees for president.

This year's battleground states are: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

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close race

Avoid the term to describe a political contest unless backed up by election results or recent polls of voters.

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front-runner

Candidate who leads a political race; the term is hyphenated. Use with caution, as today's front-runner can become tomorrow's also-ran.

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head to the polls

Avoid. Such a phrase does not account for the large number of voters who will cast a ballot before Election Day.

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kingmaker

Politically powerful person who boosts candidates into office.

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populism

Political philosophy or ideas that promote the rights and power of ordinary people as opposed to political and intellectual elites. Avoid labeling politicians or political parties as populist, other than in a quote or paraphrase: He calls himself a populist. Using the term in a general context is acceptable: The panelists discussed the rise of populism in Europe. She appealed to populist fervor.

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rank and file (n.), rank-and-file (adj.)

Ordinary members of a political party.

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red state, blue state, purple state

Terms used to describe how a state's voters tend to lean politically, with red signifying Republican, blue signifying Democratic, and purple indicating a swing state. They stem from TV networks' use of color-coded graphics. Though the terms are widely understood in the United States, use them judiciously because they could confuse international audiences.

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surrogate

A prominent person who campaigns on behalf of a candidate.

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NOTES ON THE TIMELINE

With both Democrats and Republicans preparing for possible legal fights over the vote count, the postelection process is getting greater scrutiny. The two-plus months of procedural steps are laid out by the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Key dates and details:

Nov. 5: This is Election Day, the final day of voting in the 2024 presidential election. Voters in all 50 states technically are not voting for a president, but for a slate of electors who are pledged to support one of the presidential candidates in a later vote. Voters can cast their ballots on or before Nov. 5, but voting stops when polls close. States then can count the votes.

Late November/early December: Each state has its own deadline to certify the election results. However, if ballot disputes, litigation or other factors delay the count, blowing this deadline doesn't invoke a penalty in the presidential race. The big deadlines are still to come.

Dec. 11: This is known as the "safe harbor" deadline and is when states must certify their presidential electors. The date occurs six days before the Electoral College is scheduled to meet.

Dec. 17: This is the date when electors are required to meet in their states and cast their ballots for president. Missing this deadline could mean a state's electors don't count in the presidential tally.

Dec. 25: The states are supposed to transmit their votes to Congress by this date.

Jan. 3: The new Congress is sworn in.

Jan. 6: Congress counts the electoral votes. Typically, this process formally certifies a winner.

But if no candidate wins a majority of electors, the House votes to determine who becomes president. This procedure is laid out in the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Each state's delegation gets one vote, and the winner of 26 state delegations becomes president. The Senate votes for the vice president.

Congress made it much more difficult to object to a state's electors when it passed the Electoral Count Reform Act in 2022. It says that Congress can accept only the slate of electors submitted by governors (unless state law says otherwise) and that it takes one-fifth of the House and the Senate to object to any state's electors.

Jan. 20: By noon on this day, the Constitution says a new presidential term begins. If Congress has not yet certified a winner of the presidential election, federal law designates an acting president based on which elected officials are in office. If there is no president or vice president whose election has been certified by Congress, for example, the Speaker of the House becomes president. If there isn't a speaker in office, the president pro tempore of the Senate becomes president.