Subject Specialist:
Law, Political Science, International Affairs
814-863-1347
e-mail: hms2@psu.edu
Helen Sheehy
Title: Head Social Sciences Library
Subject Specialist:
Law, Political Science, International Affairs
814-863-1347
e-mail: hms2@psu.edu
Penn State Votes — check out Penn State's own voter information site. It has everything you need to know to register - and - it highlights local activities and important dates during election season.
VotesPA — get your voter registration card, confirm your registration, and learn about the Voter ID law. Check out the following areas of the site:
Get Registered!
In most states you have to register at least 30 days before voting day. USA.gov has links to information on how to register to vote.
Project Vote Smart
A non-partisan site with information about candidates for federal and state offices. All you need to know to get started is your ZIP code. Check out your candidates and see if they took the "political courage test".
Election Guide from C-SPAN
Another great non-partisan site to get you started. Just type in your address and get a customized voters’ guide.
CQ Politics
Long known for its objective reporting, CQ Politics is a great site for getting basic information on the candidates running for office in your district.
Don’t look for the Tea Party here. They are not an official political party.
An Alphabetical list of parties in the U.S. from Project Vote Smart.
With the controversial Supreme Court Decision in Citizen's United v. the FEC, there will be more money spent this campaign cycle than ever before. Here are a few places that will be tracking spending:
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
"In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) — the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. The duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections."
OpenSecrets.org
"Your guide to the money in elections." By many standards the best of the Web sites, and certainly the most user-friendly guide to money in politics.
CampaignMoney.com
"The purpose of campaignmoney.com, a non-partisan website, is to make available in the easiest way possible the names of financial donors to federal political campaigns. These records are a matter of public record provided by the Federal Election Commission. There is no charge for perusing the lists on campaignmoney.com".
Follow the Money
"The National Institute on Money in State Politics is the only non-partisan, nonprofit organization revealing the influence of campaign money on state-level elections and public policy in all 50 states."
Silent Partners: How Political Non-Profits Work the System Center for Public Integrity
This was a study of the money spent by political advocacy groups during the 2000-2006 election cycles. While historical, it provides an interesting window into the influence this money has on the election cycle. This is money that is not controlled under federal campaign finance law.
As campaign season progresses the elections seem more and more like a horse race. Watch the polls go up and down at some of these sites. Look carefully at a broad range of polls and remember that polls are nothing more than a snapshot in time.
Gallup
A veteran polling institution that has been tracking elections for over 60 years.
Real Clear Politics Polls
A great site because it consolidates polls from a number of sources in one place, making it easy to compare numbers.
Pollster
Pollster tracks, aggregates, and analyzes political polls (including presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial races). The site provides links to other polling and survey research groups and resources, and has a very helpful FAQ page that explains how political polling is done. [College & Research Library News, 69 (1), p. 20]
Fivethirtyeight.com
For the statistical geek who really wants to understand what the numbers mean, this is the place to go.
Traditional news reporting on elections:
CNN Political Ticker
"The latest political news from CNN's Best Political Team with campaign coverage, 24/7."
While all the news channels maintain their news programs are objective, MSNBC and FOX have clearly defined political leanings in their talk shows:
New York Times: Politics — still a great place to keep up with the races
The following organizations claim to monitor bias in the media — either from a left- or right-leaning perspective.
Accurracy in Media — a conservative watchdog group since 1986
Media Matters for America — a liberal watchdog group
PolitiFact — from the St. Petersburg Times, this sources keeps tabs on all the claims made by candidates and facts checks and rates the claims from True to "Pants on Fire" lies
When it all gets a bit too heated and you need a break from the political talk, take a walk on the lighter side of politics and try a few of these sites for a few laughs. Maybe if our politicians laugh at themselves
InTrade: The Prediction Market — be careful, you could lose real money if you trade on this exchange! But it’s fun to watch the market rise and fall over the course of the election season.
About.com: Political Humor — whether you lean to left or the right, you can find something funny here to laugh at.
Comedy Central's Indecision — courtesy of The Daily Show and John Stewart. Yes, it is very left wing ... and funny.
