Prep for the U.S. midterm elections with these online tools

Credit: Raquel Scoggin / Mozilla

Avoiding misinformation online can be tricky, especially during election season. And while the media cycle may be more low-key than it would be for a U.S. presidential election (coming up soon in 2024), this November's midterm has not been immune to internet discord. Americans have got some big decisions to make after all, like how power is balanced in Congress and who gets to make decisions about important issues in your state and local community.

We're not here to tell you who to vote for. But as an organization that advocates for a healthy internet, we consider online misinformation to be a huge barrier to seeing that better internet. Here are some nonpartisan, online resources to help us all do the responsible thing: Make informed choices and get ready to vote.

Outsmart election misinformation

The News Literacy Project is a nonprofit that works with educators across the U.S. to teach the next generation how to identify credible news sources. We recently worked with them to explore how Gen Z consumes information online. We even co-created a guide to fighting misinformation on social media.

This election, Mozilla has partnered again with the News Literacy Project to spotlight reliable information and help voters avoid misinformation on the internet. Check out this handy page of election resources, and sign up for their free upcoming webinar series:

• Oct. 25, Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET: Spotting election misinformation and understanding motivations behind how and why it spreads
• Nov. 1, Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET: How to debunk misinformation and engage in productive conversations without confrontation

Verify your voter registration

With very few exceptions, we can't vote online (learning more about our complicated voting systems may give you some idea why). What we can do digitally is make sure we're registered to vote, choose to sign up for vote-by-mail and preview what we'll see on our ballots.

Our friends at Vote.org, a nonprofit that uses technology to simplify political engagement and increase voter turnout, put all the tools you need in one place to help make sure you're ready to vote.

Navigate the midterms with Pocket

So you're registered to vote. Now what? First, take a breather from your social feeds. There is such a thing as information overload, especially during election season. Next, do your election prep with this Pocket collection of nonpartisan stories curated by the News Literacy Project. No opinions, just facts.

Election cycles may be an exhausting time to be online. Lucky for us, the internet also makes it easier to have our say at the ballot box. We can't predict how outrageous next year's political trends will be, but one way to influence tomorrow's headlines is by making your voice heard now.

Related stories:

• 5 ways to fight misinformation on your social feed
• Why running secure elections efficiently is hard
• Protect your phone number from spam texts with Firefox Relay

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