The 2020 general election is shaping up to be one of the most contentious — and unusual — in our country’s history. In the midst of a pandemic, we’re facing a surge in mail-in voting, uncertainty about the U.S. Postal Service, unsubstantiated accusations of widespread voter fraud, and, now, a president who has COVID-19.

At the California Health Report, we want to make sure any voting problems in our state are investigated and made public. To do that, we’re partnering with the nonprofit, investigative news service ProPublica and newsrooms across the country to collect tips from readers about challenges they’ve experienced during the voting process. The project, Electionland, includes a tip line that eligible voters can use to report issues that come up when casting absentee ballots or voting at the polls.

And we want to hear from you. Your tips will help inform our election coverage and bring attention to legitimate obstacles encountered by California voters. What happens here matters: Our state has 25 million adults who are eligible to vote. 

Problems we’re looking out for include mail-in ballot delivery problems, voting location changes, long lines, registration problems, purged voter rolls, broken machines, voter harassment and misinformation. 

Given California’s diverse population and the California Health Report’s commitment to focusing on communities that are striving for justice, we’re particularly interested in hearing about challenges facing communities of color, low-wage workers, people with disabilities, those living in rural areas, and residents who speak languages other than English. 

Want to submit a tip? Here’s how you can do that:

• SMS: Text the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 81380 (standard text message rates apply). 
• WhatsApp: Send the word VOTE, VOTA (for Spanish) or 投票 (for Chinese) to 1-850-909-8683. 
• Facebook Messenger: Go to m.me/electionland. 
• Complete this form to share your election experience with us so ProPublica and our partners can investigate.