If you’re reading this newsletter, then you obviously haven’t had quite enough of what seems like the world’s longest election campaign.

What’s left to say at this point? I’m sure if you never heard the phrase “key battleground state” again, it would be too soon. Ditto for “locked in a bitter race,” “virtual dead heat” and “margin of error.”

At The Conversation, we’re planning for as many contingencies as we can in our upcoming Election Day and night coverage, ranging from the way things usually happen – someone’s declared a winner on election night or soon after – to the unpredictable. That could be anything from massive polling errors to the whole thing ending up in the courts. Among the authors we have lined up are political scientists, rhetoricians and election law scholars. And of course, because this is 2020, we’ve made these plans with the understanding that they could be rendered useless by something crazy happening that we had never considered.

The election night newsroom at The Conversation will of course be virtual. I won’t miss the cold pizza, vending machine coffee and the post-election snowstorm on my 3 a.m. ride home.

And here are a few stories that you shouldn’t miss from our recent coverage: Election law scholar Richard Pildes writes that there is a systemic reason why there may be trouble ahead in the election’s aftermath: “The way the country’s legal system is structured, we can’t get clear answers in advance to some critical legal questions, unless things actually get complicated enough to bring the courts into the picture.” Daniel Birdsong at the University of Dayton provides a great example of public service journalism with a story that outlines your rights as a voter and explains “where to turn if you encounter trouble at the polls.” And there’s a terrific and telling story from IUPUI's Chris Lamb about the candidate who gets less coverage in the election’s aftermath: the loser.

Get some sleep – it’s likely to be a long few days and nights this week.

Naomi Schalit

Senior Editor, Politics + Society

Poll workers, election observers and poll monitors are all on hand at voting places to ensure the 2020 election proceeds smoothly and safely. Macrovector/iStock via GettyImages

You have rights when you go to vote - and many people are there to help if there’s trouble at the polls

Daniel R. Birdsong, University of Dayton

An army of volunteers is working at the polls and behind the scenes to ensure election 2020 runs smoothly and safely. Here's who to turn to if things go wrong.

What will judges do? And when will they do it? Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Why there’s so much legal uncertainty about resolving a disputed presidential election

Richard Pildes, New York University

Federal election law is riddled with uncertainties. And that's not a good situation for the country if it finds itself in the middle of a contested election.