Election night: Get up-to-the-minute Twitter updates in Yiddish
Image by Getty Images
By Forverts Staff October 29, 2020
Read this article in Yiddish.
Just like election night four years ago, the Forverts is planning to report and analyze the latest presidential election results in Yiddish as soon as the first polls close on November 3rd. State vote totals and trends will be updated throughout the evening on the Forverts Twitter account.
For followers abroad and those at home who could use a refresher, context and explanations regarding the USA’s Electoral College system will be provided as the night goes on.
The Forverts Twitter account will be continually updated beginning at 7PM Eastern Standard Time until 3AM. If a winner has yet to be called at 3AM, coverage will continue on Twitter over the ensuing day(s). Twitter users are encouraged to send in questions and comments as events progress, in any language they’re comfortable tweeting in.
The decision to have the Forverts provide running electoral coverage in Yiddish on Twitter was inspired by a tradition the paper started in the early 20th century. On election nights, starting right after WWI, the electoral results were illuminated on the side of the Forward’s building on East Broadway so that the entire Lower East Side could follow returns in real time in an era before TV and radio. Since social media has largely ended the era of large crowds gathering in person to watch election returns, Twitter is now the best medium for continuing that tradition.
