Nov 1: Week in Photography
Your lens to the internet's most powerful photographs. 📸 MOST POWERFUL PHOTO OF THE WEEK 📸  Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty Images This week, lines for early voting stretched for hours in some cities, and a record number of mail-in ballots have been submitted across the country. Mail-in ballots were seen as a crowd control measure for the coronavirus pandemic, but the rules around how they work are widely variable and, in some states, still being contested. How votes are counted in battleground states could prove crucial to who wins the Electoral College, so the lack of clarity is setting up the possibility of a prolonged or contested election.
All of this feels very much like a real-world experiment with the Constitution. This frame by Robyn Beck in California summarizes the enormous task of counting every last vote — and the eagerness of Americans to participate in the election this year.
 📸For Your 👀 Only: WHAT IT'S LIKE IN WISCONSIN We worked with Lauren Justice, a photographer in Wisconsin who crisscrossed the southeast region talking with voters. The idea was to capture the mood in an area that is deeply divided, in a state that will be crucial in this week's election. While it seemed straightforward, finding people who were willing to publicly express their opinion was an endeavor — even both rural and urban residents described feeling overlooked. This is a sneak peek behind the scenes at a project that will publish this week.
What were some of the challenges with this story?  Lauren Justice for BuzzFeed News It’s well known that there is distrust between rural Wisconsin and the media, and there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to help build that trust back up again. One person who originally said yes to working on this with us ended up dropping out because she couldn’t find a way to answer the questions without fearing for how her family business would be impacted if those around her read the piece. I heard this from others too –– two people who did participate were initially hesitant because they were afraid of reactions from readers, afraid of being made fun of, afraid of their words being taken out of context.
What's it like covering an election in a battleground state that is also a COVID hot spot ? Wisconsin’s response to the virus has been very politicized and that’s factoring into some people’s decision of who to vote for in November. For some it’s further proof of needing to vote in a new leader and for some it’s affirmation that the current president is who they want to keep in office. There are strong emotional responses regardless of who you speak with.
 Lauren Justice for BuzzFeed News Did anything about this project surprise you?
 Lauren Justice for BuzzFeed News Anything else about this project that you'd like to share?  📸THE WEEK'S PHOTO STORIES FROM BUZZFEED NEWS 📸 This week, we look at what the next generation wants, and why they are voting. An ambitious photo project out of Cleveland highlights the beautifully highlights residents of the city. And, in desk news, we have a new photo editor on the desk! Pia Peterson started this week and has jumped right in to election prep and other coverage — and she has her first byline, covering photo stories around the internet.
GEN-Z IS NOT HAPPY — AND NOW THEY GET TO VOTE  Anna Betts
A GLIMPSE INTO THE HEART OF AMERICA  Ruddy Roye / The Cleveland Public Library
📸SOME HOPE 📸  Alex Wong / Getty Images Go Vote! "That's it from us this time — see you next week!" —Kate “We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.” — Ralph Hattersley
📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by the News Photo team. Kate Bubacz is the photo director based in New York and loves dogs. You can always reach us here.
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