The Flatwater Free Press, Nebraska’s first independent, nonprofit newsroom, is seeking an enterprising, sharp and agile reporter for a high-impact, time-limited role tracking the upcoming election. Let’s be entirely clear from the jump: This is not an election campaign coverage role. You won’t be analyzing horse-race polling, tracking campaign finance reports or trailing candidates on the stump — unless those elements directly collide with the actual ability of Nebraskans to cast a ballot.
You will instead focus on the plumbing of our democracy. For three critical months — from the post-Labor Day sprint through the November certification process — you will aggressively cover the mechanics of voting and democracy in Nebraska.
This position is a unique partnership: You will be a Flatwater Free Press reporter working directly alongside Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization dedicated to covering voting access and election administration nationwide. You will bring local context and deep Nebraska storytelling, backed by Votebeat’s industry-leading expertise in election systems.
This role is located in Nebraska with the ability to work from home. There will also be state-wide travel. The position is Full-time and is time limited, running from September- November. It pays $5,000 a month. Applications will be accepted until the role is filled.
What You’ll Do
You will be the eyes and ears on the ground for how voting actually works across Nebraska. Your beat will balance two speeds:
- Deep-Dive Accountability: You will look systemically at how changes to state laws, local county decisions or institutional shifts affect or may affect voters.
- Rapid-Response Breaking News: You will be our primary engine for breaking situations involving voting security, logistical disruptions or access issues.
In any given week, you might find yourself writing a deeply reported investigative feature on systemic access challenges in rural communities, and the very next day shifting to cover breaking news about unexpected polling place closures, voting irregularities, or long lines at an early voting site.
You will be expected to produce 1 to 2 stories per week, though your exact rhythm and output will be heavily dictated by live events on the ground.
The Details of the Beat
We are looking for someone to fearlessly cover the friction points of election administration, including:
- Access & Infrastructure: Changes or reductions in polling places, mail-in voting and the like.
- The Voting Experience: Voter ID implementation, language accessibility, mail-in ballot processing and lines at the polls.
- Systemic Pressures: The challenges facing county clerks and local election workers, evolving administrative rules and voting security infrastructure.
- Irregularities & Incidents: Investigating and contextualizing claims of voting disruptions, voter fraud and irregularities without sensationalism, separating real administrative issues from misinformation.
You might be a fit if you…
- A Proven Journalist: You have solid experience reporting breaking news and building source networks under tight deadlines.
- Comfortable with Ambiguity: You can pivot instantly from a long-form project to a fast-breaking news event as situations develop.
- Fair and Unflinching: You understand that covering the mechanics of voting requires absolute nonpartisanship, precision and an unshakeable commitment to the facts.
Connected to Place: You either know Nebraska’s political and geographic landscape well, or you possess the rapid-research skills required to get up to speed on the state’s unique systems.
To apply
Please apply directly on our website. Application review will take place on a rolling basis. Position open until filled.
Flatwater and its parent organization, the Nebraska Journalism Trust, are committed to reflecting the communities we cover. We strongly encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, especially from communities underrepresented in journalism — including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.
This is not boilerplate. It is central to who we are.