Introducing the 12: Student journalists chronicling the 2012 election on Tumblr

June 8, 2012

The 12 is live! Check out our new Tumblr, curated by student journalists at 12 universities in 2012 swing states.

2012swingstates:

It’s all but certain that a handful of states will determine whether Barack Obama or Mitt Romney will get to 270 electoral votes Nov. 6. And within those states, a few recurring narratives will dominate headlines and national perceptions about how those votes will swing in the fall: Economic recovery in Michigan. Immigration laws in Arizona. Union battles in Wisconsin. Northern Virginia (blue), and the rest of Virginia (not so blue).

Today we’re launching The 12, a Washington Post blog powered by Tumblr and populated by student journalists in 12 of the most competitive 2012 election states.

Using content aggregated from student media outlets and local news sources, the 12 will be a site that leverages Tumblr’s curation tools to feature election news that matters most to voters in battleground states and identify campaign issues that have yet to bubble up to the national conscience.

The 12 team will also focus on coverage that most affects young voters, who turned out in record numbers to propel Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008 . But it’s unclear whether the under-30 crowd will do the same in 2012.

We asked the 12 team to paint a picture of the political climate in their state heading into the 2012 election, so you’ll see that throughout the day here, along with other news and updates. Meet the full team here.

I am the editor of the site, and I’m looking forward to getting your feedback. Submit questions or your own posts with news about young voters or local issues, or email me at ngjennings@washpost.com.