Nov 03, 2020

"Numbers are just a language we use to tell stories about people."

America is participating in an unprecedented election. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to reshape our everyday lives, voters face challenges casting their ballots, and misinformation continues to spread. Clear and accurate data will be key for CBS News to deliver the story of this election to voters.

We spoke with three members of the News team who will be broadcasting live on Election Night. During CBS News’ multiplatform coverage, elections and surveys director Anthony Salvanto, chief justice and homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues and chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett will each be part of a division-wide effort, and tasked with disseminating crucial updates to the public.

 


Describe your beat.

Anthony Salvanto: My beat is covering the American public. What voters are thinking. Sometimes it might seem like that's all about numbers, but I like to say numbers are just a language we use to tell stories about people.

The Battleground Tracker is the largest polling effort we’ve ever done. It covers all 50 states to show how the presidential election is unfolding, interviewing over 100,000 voters, using millions of voter records and some state-of-the-art models. It’s critical to cover this election in every part of the country, because we don’t just want to know who wins – we want to understand why.

What is the most interesting piece of polling/tracker data you’ve come across covering this election?

AS:  So many voters tell us the pandemic has had such an impact on them, and shaped their views and the way they’re casting their ballots, either early or by mail. The biggest number of all might be total turnout, as it looks right now like it could set records.

How well will your team know the tallies for early and mail-in voting before Election Night? How do you ensure accuracy in a fast-paced, challenging news environment like this one?

AS:  Exit polls are already underway talking to people at early voting stations, and will continue through Election Day, and then we’ll get reports from every county as votes come in. However long that takes, we'll stay with it. We crunch a lot of data with a great team of analysts, comparing vote trends, looking at what's counted and what's still to come. To me, an important part of telling the story is transparency: we'll show you everything we know, and also what we don’t yet. I think our audience appreciates that. We have a long, great tradition of Election Nights at CBS News , and while this one will really be challenging, we’ll bring viewers along for the ride with us. It’ll be exciting, and that’s one thing I can project for sure right now!

"To me, an important part of telling the story is transparency: we'll show you everything we know, and also what we don’t yet. I think our audience appreciates that."

Anthony Salvanto

CBS News Elections and Surveys Director

It’s going to be a long day on Nov. 3 – how do you keep yourself fresh and engaged as Election Night goes on?

AS:  It’s such a thrill and an honor to help tell Americans what they’ve decided on the big night, so the adrenaline keeps you going. Well, that...and a lot of coffee and energy bars. You might see them stashed away under the Decision Desk if you look closely.

Describe your beat.

Jeff Pegues: Misinformation by Russia, in particular, is an issue I have been covering since the 2016 election. I knew when we first started tracking incidents that this would be a story that could shape our democracy. I think it's that important because, if a foreign adversary can influence how you think, then they can influence how you vote. No need for their operatives to actually pull a lever in a voting booth, all they have to do is influence American voters to do the dirty work for them. Which is the crux of a book I wrote and published in 2018, Kompromat: How Russia Undermined American Democracy. I knew that this would be a problem for the foreseeable future. And in 2020, the issue is a bigger threat to the election because you have other foreign adversaries getting into the game: China, Iran and North Korea, according to our sources. It is a problem that we hope, through our reporting, Americans are now more aware of as they head to the polls.

Have you learned anything that contradicted what you covered in Kompromat?

JP: No. I try not to pat myself on the back, but I'm so passionate about this issue, and I think I was able to get ahead of the story because I could see the ramifications early on. And as the son and grandson of Black Americans who protested and marched for the opportunity to vote, the issue resonates with me. So many people have sacrificed for the right to vote and those who don't currently vote should know how powerfully important it is for every American to exercise their right to do so. It is that singular act that can potentially hold leadership accountable for their actions and statements. That's what a democracy is and should be.

It’s going to be a long day on Nov. 3 – how do you keep yourself fresh and engaged as Election Night goes on?

JP: It's like game night for me! That's the way I see it as a former college football player. It is our chance to shine as a news organization. We have a swanky new studio in Times Square, and I have brilliant and talented colleagues who know the issues and the candidates. We're all energized here about what's to come on Nov. 3. It is why we do what we do as we attempt to write what is a first draft of history. So we are studying up on the issues because this is an important election, and I believe the American people will turn to us because they know they can trust the information we give them.

Major, you cover the voting process, which is challenging this year. What’s been your biggest takeaway in 2020 so far?

Major Garrett: That a sitting president would say over and over the only way he can lose is if the election is rigged. That has never happened before, and it will scar Trump’s presidency forever. Also, the country is adapting to COVID in numerous and inspiring ways – recruiting a new generation of poll workers to replace older ones who are fearful of exposure; we are redesigning polling places and making them safe and workable on the fly. Innovation is everywhere from social distancing and hygiene to large vote centers and use of drop boxes; early voting is at historic levels and people are taking their vote as seriously as any election I have ever seen; legal challenges are making the rules of the road harder to know, but voters are proving to be motivated and willing to learn. We will have the highest turnout in decades – possibly a century.

"We will have the highest turnout in decades – possibly a century."

Major Garrett

CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent

How do you ensure accuracy in a fast-paced, challenging news environment like this one?

MG: Know what you know. Prepare to pull every lever you can think of; have sources who are plugged in and accessible; think creatively and report doggedly.

We know this is an election unlike any we’ve seen, but is there usually this much legal activity in advance of Election Day?

MG: More than 300 lawsuits is without precedent. There is an upside though – most issues will have been resolved before the election and that will make post-election legal challenges less frequent because of the new rules that have been followed there is nothing to litigate. That doesn’t mean there won’t be some challenges but the wrangling now has clarified the process.

Is that being driven by early and mail-in voting becoming an important part of the process?

MG: In some respects, but the biggest driver is any new rule and how one party perceived it affecting their ability to win. Expanding early voting means expanding access – Republicans generally have been nervous about that and tried to limit it. Courts have looked at the law and evidence to see if new rules will mar the process and ruled accordingly. Democrats have won more cases than Republicans by a slight margin.

It’s going to be a long day on Nov. 3 – how do you keep yourself fresh and engaged as Election Night goes on?

MG: No problem there. This is my life’s work. It is the biggest election ever. We will have a lot of data and results to sift through that night. I will leave it to the voters to decide if it will be close or not.

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