Votebeat
U.S. center-left
Background
Votebeat was created in October 2020 as a short-term 'pop-up' newsroom by Chalkbeat, an education-focused nonprofit news outlet, in response to the confusion and disinformation surrounding that year's presidential election. Its founders, Chalkbeat CEO Elizabeth Green and editor Alison Go, aimed to place trained local reporters inside partner newsrooms in key states to cover the mechanics of voting rather than electoral politics. The outlet was funded initially with nearly $1 million and staffed with about 15 reporters across 10 partner organizations. In May 2022, Votebeat announced it was becoming a permanent year-round newsroom, backed by $3.1 million in new funding, with reporters in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas. In February 2023, Votebeat and Chalkbeat were reorganized under a new umbrella nonprofit called Civic News Company. The outlet expanded to Wisconsin and, ahead of the 2026 midterms, hired former FiveThirtyEight analyst Nathaniel Rakich as managing editor and received additional support from the More Perfect foundation to grow its national team. Votebeat's coverage has consistently scrutinized election denial claims — first those surrounding the 2020 results and, more recently, Trump administration executive orders seeking to expand federal authority over state-run elections, which Votebeat has reported critically and in detail, noting that federal courts have blocked major provisions.
Sources
- About Votebeat
- Votebeat launches as a permanent newsroom – Axios
- The organization that owns Chalkbeat and Votebeat is now called Civic News Company – Nieman Lab
- Votebeat – InfluenceWatch
- Votebeat Media Bias – AllSides
- Supporters – Votebeat
- With Support from More Perfect, Votebeat Expands National Election Coverage Ahead of 2026 Elections
- Civic News Company
- The stories Votebeat covered this year will resonate during the midterm elections
Profile compiled 2026-06-26; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.