RCFP Legal Hotline available for journalists covering 2022 midterm elections
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Legal Hotline and Election Legal Guide are available for journalists covering the 2022 midterm elections who have questions about their newsgathering rights or encounter legal issues while reporting.
The free Legal Hotline will be staffed on Election Day by Reporters Committee attorneys in Washington, D.C., to help journalists nationwide who may face issues while reporting at the polls. A network of volunteer media lawyers in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas will also be on call to assist journalists.
Contact the Reporters Committee Legal Hotline at 1-800-336-4243, hotline@rcfp.org, or submit a request through our online form if you have questions about reporting on the midterm elections or run into issues while covering the elections.
Journalists can also consult the Reporters Committee’s Election Legal Guide, available in English and Spanish. The guide, which Reporters Committee attorneys updated in advance of this year’s midterms, covers exit polling, newsgathering in or near polling places, ballot selfies, and access to ballots and election records. It also includes more detailed information about election laws in battleground states.
“As we have done each election cycle, the Reporters Committee is making these free legal resources available to help journalists better understand their legal rights and more fully report on the election process,” said Reporters Committee Senior Staff Attorney Jen Nelson. “Ensuring that journalists have access to polling places and election-related records is crucial to informing communities across the country about this fundamental part of our democracy.”
Journalists covering protests and demonstrations during the election season can also learn more about the special risks they may face and how to stay safe in the Reporters Committee’s Police, Protesters, and the Press guide.
The Reporters Committee regularly files friend-of-the-court briefs and its attorneys represent journalists and news organizations pro bono in court cases that involve First Amendment freedoms, the newsgathering rights of journalists and access to public information. Stay up-to-date on our work by signing up for our monthly newsletter and following us on Twitter or Instagram.