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ELECTION 2008: A SUBJECT GUIDE |
This guide lists non-partisan sources of information about the 2008 U.S. presidential elections, voting, and related political issues. Note: For information about state and local elections, go to Elections in Progress.
The Illinois Presidential Primaries for both the Republican and Democratic Parties will be held on Tuesday, February 5, 2008. This Tuesday is called Super Tuesday when the greatest number of states hold primary elections.
The United States presidential election of 2008 is scheduled to be held on November 4, 2008. The Illinois deadline for registering to vote in the General Election is October 7, 2008.
Voter Registration / Information
This is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign to empower and encourage every eligible 18-year-old in America to register and vote in the presidential primaries and 2008 presidential election. This site is specifically targeted towards college students, so if you haven't already registered to vote, you can go here to find out how and to find answers to other FAQs college students have about voting.
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization that strives to impact government and public policy through citizen education and advocacy, this site provides general and state-specific election information for voters: absentee ballot information, election dates, voter qualifications and registration forms, etc. An important and much used aspect of the site is the polling place locator in which users can type in their address and find the nearest polling location.
The official information and services from the U.S. Goverment, this site provides information about registering to vote and voting, for example voter requirements. Also includes links to other government sites pertaining to voting and the election process.
Candidates on the Issues
Want to know where the candidates stand on the issues you care about? These sites provide side-by-side comparisons of the candidates' positions on major issues.
Candidate Voting History / Fact Checking
In addition to providing information about Congressional representatives, during the election season this site provides biographical information about party candidates, links to candidate Web sites, and candidate positions on select issues and key votes. Go to Election > Election 2008: Candidates and Information.
This site is a non-partisan, not-for-profit, "consumer advocate" resource that monitors the accuracy of claims made by politicians on TV, during debates, in speeches, in interviews, and in the news. It is updated several times per week.
Project Vote Smart is a citizen's organization whose Web site provides biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances, and interest group ratings for all candidates and elected officials. In addition to these basic categories, in the Issues and Legislation section the site tracks key Congressional and State votes, and allows you to search for issues, interest groups, and their ratings by state.
THOMAS--Legislative Information from the Library of Congress
There's a wealth of information here about federal legislation, but particularly useful as election and voting information is
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Roll Call Votes: Roll call votes are recorded votes from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Includes detailed vote pages that show individual member votes and vote totals by party. If Presidential candidates are former or current members of Congress, you can see for yourself how they voted on particular issues.
Comprehensive Election News Sources
CNN Election Center 2008: Road to the White House
A wealth of information that includes an election calendar and information about primaries and caucuses and tracks primary election results and delegate totals; provides candidate information including transcripts of speeches and lists of notable supporters and advisers' state analysis, demographics, and polls pertaining to primaries/caucuses; compares presidential candidates on issues and campaign finances; gives transcripts and links to video of debates.
New York Times Election Guide 2008
Another one-stop-shop for information about the Presidential elections. An addition to providing general information during the primary season and beyond, the site includes details about each state's nominating process for each party; gives biographies and links to blogs of the candidates as well as their positions on health care, abortion, climate change, immigration, Irag, and Iran; campaign finance information includes a search by zip code for donors contributing over $200.
Provides audio from all the in-depth news reports, analysis, and interviews regarding the 2008 presidential election as well as profiles of the candidates.
In addition to the latest news stories from a premier national newspaper, this site also includes detailed presidential candidate information such as campaign schedules, noteworthy donors, and endorsements from state legislators.
Election Process
National Archives and Records Administration--U.S. Electoral College
This government sponsored site includes a summary of key election dates with event information/explanations, a distribution of electoral votes, an electoral college calculator, information about state laws and requirements for electoral college voting, and extensive FAQs about the Electoral College.
An interesting report from The Center for Government Studies, an institute dedicated to political education and reform, about the Presidential Selection Process--specifically the nominating process, the voting process, and the Electoral College. The report also includes discussion of several reform proposals.
2008 Presidential Primary and Caucus Calendar
This updated calendar includes the dates of the candidate selections for each state and the political parties conducting the selections.
Statistics / Public Opinion Polls / Surveys
A widely recognized barometer of public opinion, the Gallop Poll, conducted by the Gallup Organization, has measured and tracked the public's attitudes concerning virtually every political, social, and economic issue. Poll topics and poll archives are available on their Web site, including survey questions and charts of results.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
The Elections section of the annual Statistical Abstract provides information on presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial elections. Summary tables on congressional legislation, state legislatures, Black, Hispanic, and female officeholders, population of voting age, voter participation, and campaign finances are also included. Abstracts from 1878-2008 are available.
U.S. Census Bureau: Voting and Registration
The Census Bureau provides a variety of information on voting and registration broken down by socioeconomic and demographic factors, particularly from recent surveys and historical trends about geographic area and voting-age population.
OpenSecrets.org--Center for Responsive Politics
Run by the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan, non-profit research group, this site includes race-by-race analysis of campaign contributions for past and upcoming elections. A highlight is a section with explanations of the major issues, how they are affected by campaign contributions, and breakdowns of contributions. The Who Gets section includes detailed money profiles and breakdowns for the members of the House and Senate, the President, and selected presidential candidates including contributions by geography, by industry, etc, and even has copies of their personal finance reports.
The FEC is an independent regulatory agency established by Congress to, among other things, disclose campaign finance information and maintain public records on voting statistics. Provides information about voting and elections including information on campaign contributions by state.
The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
The Pew Research Center is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics, and public policy issues. Best known for regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories, and for polling that charts trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes.
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