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University Library > Documents Center > Political Science > Elections 2008

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Comprehensive Web Sites | Election Process

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
Comprehensive | Democratic | Republican
Candidate Matching | Debates | Endorsements

PRIMARIES
Michigan Presidential Primary | Presidential Primaries
Primary Candidate Web Sites | Primary Results

CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES
Congressional Candidates | Congressional Districts | State Primaries |

STATE CANDIDATES
Michigan Candidates/Proposals | Michigan Presidential Primary | State Candidates/Proposals | State Primaries

CAMPAIGN
Advertising | Campaign Finances | Campaign Schedules | Candidate Resources | Conventions | Debates
Fact Checkers | Gaming | Humor | Internet Use | Legal Issues | Lobby Groups
Lobby Group Ratings | Maps | Media Coverage | Party Affiliation | Platforms | Political Parties | Public Opinion Polls

POLICY ISSUES
Comprehensive | Candidate/Voter Issue Matching | Abortion | Carbon Tax | Economics | Education
Energy | Federal Budget and Debt | Gas Prices | Gay Marriage | Global Warming | Health Insurance Coverage
Immigration | Iran | Iraq | Medicare Prescription Drugs | Mortgage Crisis | Presidential Primary Competition
State Children's Health Insurance Program | Social Security | Stem Cell Research | Stock Market Bailout | Taxes | Terrorism

ELECTIONS AND VOTING
General Election Results - 2008 | Presidential Primaries | Pres Primary Results | State Primaries
Election Laws | Electoral College | Party Affiliation | Voter Registration & Participation

HISTORICAL ELECTIONS
Historical Campaigns | Historical Election Results

AFTER THE ELECTION
President Elect | Plum Book | Prune Book

ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Books | Periodicals | News Sources

Directory Search

Last updated on September 1, 2010

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Election Process

    • Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids (GPO)
      • Describes federal government for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, and teachers/parents
      • Describes the nation, historic documents, branches of government, national v. state authority, how laws are made, elections, and citizenship
      • Pleasing graphics, a glossary, games and activities
      • Includes list of federal government web sites for children

    • Center for Voting and Democracy
      • Think tank providing background information on election issues
      • Redistricting, proportion representation, instant runoff issues, and voter turnout

    • CQ Voting and Elections Collection (UMich Only)
      • Use main screen to search for statewide election results for President and Congress, (primary, general and caucus), 1789 to present
      • Main screen includes articles and selected documents on the election process and political parties, browsable within category or searchable by keyword (e.g. internet voting)
      • Side frame permits manipulation of party control and party split data
      • Export/download on side frame provides Excel spreadsheets of historic Presidential, Gubernatorial and Congressional elections by state and county or Congressional District; equivalent of paper America Votes

    • Elections 2008 (State Dept. Foreign Press Center)
      • Comprehensive web links and articles on the election process: primaries, caucuses, issues, electoral college, public opinion polls

    • United States Electoral College (NARA)
      • Electoral college laws and procedures
      • State-by-state electoral college votes, 1789-2004
      • Number of state electoral votes for 2008


Comprehensive Election Web Sites

    • Congress.org
      • Presidential Candidate Guide provides brief biographies of the main party candidates and links to their web sites
        • Includes selective ISSUE positions on defense, education, environment, health care, immigration, Social Security
      • Includes links to 2008 Congressional and state legislative races, as well as voter registration information, by state
      • Also ranks the current most powerful members of Congress

    • Election Center 2008 (CNN)
      • Compares Presidential candidates on the issues, campaign finances; well-known SUPPORTERS and the most current public opinion polls
      • Election calendar and public opinion polls
      • Text of YouTube Debates
      • Quotes from key blogs
      • Will track primary election results and delegate totals

    • Elections 2008 (Reader's Digest)
      • Interviews with the major candidates
      • Trivia questionnaire on the candidates
      • "Grade the Candidates" public opinion poll for web site users

    • Elections 2008
      • "Open directory" of web sites pertaining to 2008 elections
      • Separate sections on Presidential, Congressional, and state elections
      • As of October 31, 2007, the material is a mixture of the 2004 and 2008 elections

    • Elections (Vanderbilt)
      • Well-organized links to election web sites since 2000
      • Includes candidates, parties, campaign finances, and voter registration

    • The Green Papers
      • State-by-state coverage of the 2008 elections
      • For each state includes the number of positions to be elected, state primary and general election dates with poll times, candidates for federal and state executive offices, the existence of term limits
      • Detailed information on the political party Presidential nominating process, including primaries and caucues, soft v. hard votes

    • Politics 1 (Politics 1)
      • Pictures and biographies of declared and undeclared presidential candidates for 2008
      • Republican, Democrat, and third party, as well as independents
      • State-by-state listing of gubernatorial and Congressional candidates and their web sites as information becomes available

    • Project Vote Smart
      • Biographies, LOBBY GROUP ratings, CAMPAIGN RECEIPTS by Political Action Committee subject groupings
      • Candidate answers to the National Political Awareness Test, a questionnaire on ISSUES in the election
      • Congress, Governors, President, and State Legislatures
      • As of 10-31-07, Presidential material available but little state and Congressional data

    • New York Times Election Guide
      • Biographies and blogs of Presidential candidates as well as their stands on the issues (abortion, climate change, health care, immigration, Iran and Iraq
      • Search by zip code for donors providing over $200
      • Presidential candidate schedules
      • Democratic and Republican primary schedules by date

    • Rhodes Cook Letter (UMich Only)
      • Journal with election data and charts on Presidential, Congressional and gubernatorial races
      • Includes public opinion polls, delegate counts, and state initiatives on various issues (e.g. gay marriage ban)

    • Voting and Elections (USA.gov)
      • FAQs, particularly about campaign regulations, financing, and volunteering
      • Links to the electoral college
      • Children's materials on the election process

    • Washington Post Elections
      • Presidential and Congressional election news stories
      • Unique information for each of the Presidential candidates includes upcoming campaign schedule, top campaign donors, links to facebook, major campaign contributors, endorsements from state legislators
      • Typically will include political ADVERTISEMENTS which have aired and transcripts of Presidential DEBATES
      • Typically will handicap Congressional and Senatorial races using the CQ Risk Ratings


CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES

Congressional Candidates

    • Candidate Profiles (Center for Responsive Politics)
      • List of Congressional District and Senatorial races by state
      • Lists CAMPAIGN FINANCES received and spent and campaign contributions by interest sector
      • Includes top contributors
      • As of 12-19-07, you must access the 2006 election data by state; then choose the 2008 data from the pulldown menu at the top of the page

    • Congress.org
      • State-by-state information on voter registration and upcoming elections in 2007 only
      • Includes links to 2008 Congressional and state legislative races by state

    • Congressional and Gubernatorial Candidates: 2008 (UMich)
      • Spreadsheet of 2007 Governors and 110th Congressional incumbents indicating re-election or retirement plans
      • The Gubernatorial and Senate worksheets also list those not up for re-election in 2008
      • Details on individual races will be added as state primaries are held; general election results appear after 11-4-08

    • Congressional District Boundaries
      • American Factfinder
        • Draw Congressional District boundary maps by first going to Reference Maps
        • Then choose 110th boundaries and state
        • You will need to zoom in to 185 miles across to see district boundaries
      • Congressional District Maps: 110th Congress (Chris Chubb)
        • Choose name of state; then either pan or choose city or district number to view
        • Map displays county and city names in a district as well as the representative
        • Coloring is by political party of current office holder
      • Zip to It (Juan Cabanela)
        • Put in five or nine digit zip code to determine senators and representatives for the 110th Congress; districts for the 111th Congress will be the same

    • Congresspedia
      • Wiki on Congressional elections by state for 2008
      • Recruiting volunteers to edit sections as of January 2008

    • CQ Politics
      • Section on House, Senate and Gubernatorial races to watch in 2008
      • Describes the political situation in each of the covered districts

    • Google Web Directory: U.S. Elections
      • Annotated links to quality web sites on U.S. elections, campaign finance, former candidates, political humor
      • 1996-2006 elections
      • As of 11/1/07, most 2008 material on the Presidential election

    • Politics1.com

    • Project Vote Smart
      • Biographies, LOBBY GROUP ratings, CAMPAIGN RECEIPTS by Political Action Committee subject groupings
      • Candidate answers to the National Political Awareness Test, a questionnaire on ISSUES in the election
      • Congress, Governors, President, and State Legislatures
      • As of 11/1/07, coverage limited to President

    • State Primaries (Foreign Assistance Voters Guide)
      • List of state-level primaries by state and date
      • Includes candidates for governor and Congress

    • Washington Post Elections
      • As of 11/1/07, focused on 2008 presidential election
      • Typically:
        • Presidential and Congressional election news stories
        • Search for political ADVERTISEMENTS which have aired and transcripts of Presidential DEBATES
        • Handicap Congressional and Senatorial races using the CQ Risk Ratings

Balance of Power: Potential Changes

    • Congressional and Gubernatorial Candidates: 2008 (UMich)
      • Spreadsheet of 2007 Governors and 110th Congressional incumbents indicating re-election or retirement plans
      • The Gubernatorial and Senate worksheets also list those not up for re-election in 2008
      • Details on individual races will be added as state primaries are held; general election results appear after 11-4-08
      • Spreadsheets can be filtered and manipulated to show changes in the balance of power

    • CQ Politics
      • Section on House, Senate and Gubernatorial races to watch in 2008
      • Describes the political situation in each of the covered districts

    • National Journal Campaigns (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only)
      • National Journal focuses on the politics of the Executive Branch with some reference to current legislation
      • Its campaigns segment includes public opinion polls, political ads, and projected balance of power changes

Incumbents

    • Almanac of American Politics (UMich Only)
      • Biennial biographical directory of Members of Congress
      • Lengthy information about the politics of the Congressional District
      • Brief CAMPAIGN FINANCES, LOBBY GROUP ratings, and key roll call VOTES
      • Web version back to 1998
      • Paper copy in Documents Center JK 1012 .A44 with current in Graduate Library Stacks

    • Clerk of the House
      • Historical data includes national electoral college results since the 1st Congress, Presidential and Senatorial election results by state and House by district since 1920
      • Data on the political divisions in Congress since the 34th Congress

    • CQ Congress Collection (UMich Only)
      • Member search provides detailed political biographies, brief election statistics, and LOBBY GROUP ratings since the 97th Congress
      • Additional interactive features: analyze VOTING ALIGNMENTS between members, their state delegations, and PARTY UNITY
      • Analyze lobby group ratings of individuals Members and groups of Members

    • Politics in America (UMich Only)
      • Profile section includes biographical, campaign finance, district, and election information; bills introduced, current speeches, roll call votes for members of the 110th Congress
      • Web version (CQ Congress Collection) not labelled as printed title but includes the same information
      • Doc.Cen. JK 1012 .A44


PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Comprehensive | Candidate Matching | Candidates | Debates | Endorsements | Primaries

    • Congress.org
      • Lists major Presidential candidates and provides candidate contact information, biographies, and voting information. Some biographies include the candidates positions on on Civilian Reserve, DC representation, economy, education, environment, job creation, health care, national security, and tax policy
      • State-by-state information on voter registration and upcoming elections
      • Includes some links to Congressional and state legislative races by state

    • CQ Congress Collection (UMich Only)
      • Information for Biden, Clinton, Dodd, Edwards, Gravel, Hunter, Kucinich, McCain, Obama, Paul, Richardson, Tancredo, Thompson
      • Member search provides detailed political biographies, brief election statistics, and LOBBY GROUP ratings since the 97th Congress
      • Additional interactive features: analyze VOTING ALIGNMENTS between members, their state delegations, and PARTY UNITY
      • Analyze lobby group ratings of individuals Members and groups of Members

    • FactCheck (Univ of Pennsylvania)
      • Analyzes claims made by politicians in the news to determine their accuracy
      • New entries several times per week

    • How to Run for the Presidency

    • New York Times Election Guide
      • Biographies and blogs of Presidential candidates as well as their stands on the issues (abortion, climate change, health care, immigration, Iran and Iraq
      • Search by zip code for donors providing over $200
      • Presidential candidate schedules
      • Democratic and Republican primary schedules by date

    • On the Issues
      • Extensive web site analyzing positions of all Presidential candidates as well as incumbent governors, senators and House members on a breaktaking variety of campaign issues
      • Relies on their voting records but also includes position statements

    • Presidency 2008 (Politics 1)
      • Pictures and biographies of declared and undeclared presidential candidates
      • Republican, Democrat, and third party, as well as independents
      • Extensive links to positive and negative G.W. Bush web sites
      • Additional annotated to links to presidential debates and public opinion polls
      • The premier web site early in the 2004 campaign

    • Project Vote Smart
      • Biographies, LOBBY GROUP ratings, CAMPAIGN RECEIPTS by Political Action Committee subject groupings
      • Candidate answers to the National Political Awareness Test, a questionnaire on ISSUES in the election
      • Congress, Governors, President, and State Legislatures
      • Excellent list of independent candidates

    • Washington Post Elections
      • Presidential and Congressional election news stories
      • Unique information for each of the Presidential candidates includes upcoming campaign schedule, top campaign donors, links to facebook, major campaign contributors, endorsements from state legislators
      • Typically will include political ADVERTISEMENTS which have aired and transcripts of Presidential DEBATES

    • What Makes A Good President (American Psychological Association)
      • Press release of presentation made at the American Psychological Association Convention on August 5, 2000
      • Identifies stubbornness and disagreeableness as the two most important personal characteristics for great presidents
      • Classifies past U.S. presidents into eight personality types

NOVEMBER CANDIDATES

Democratic

Republican

Presidential Candidate Matching

    • Candidate Match (VA Joe)
      • Record your opinion on 23 specific issues and rank them in importance to determine your ideal Presidential candidate

    • Glass Booth
      • Choose the importance of several issues first and then answer a range of support/oppose questions on each of them
      • Determine your top three candidates

    • Presidential Match Game (USA Today)
      • Answer 11 questions to find your best Presidential candidate match

    • Select a Candidate (WQAD - Iowa)
      • Answer eleven questions and rank the answer in importance
      • Determine which Presidential candidate prior to the Iowa caucuses best matches your political opinion

    • Select Smart
      • Select Presidential Candidate based on answers to 27 questions and their ranking in importance

    • Votehelp.org
      • VoteHelp is a nonpartisan candidate calculator that tracks the main politicians' stands on important issues

Endorsements

    • Election Center 2008 (CNN)
      • Compares Presidential candidates on the issues, campaign finances; well-known SUPPORTERS and the most current public opinion polls found under candidate's biography

    • Endorsements Not Yet Made (The Hill)
      • Presidential endorsements by groups and celebrities that have not been made as of December 6, 2007

    • Washington Post Elections
      • Includes state legislator endorsements of Presidential candidates

PRIMARIES

Presidential Candidate Web Sites

PartyCandidatesProject Vote Smart
(NPT Available Oct. 31, 2007)
IssuesMoney Speeches
ConstitutionDon GRUNDMAN... Website... ...
DemocraticJoseph BIDEN
WITHDREW on 1-3-08
Vice Presidential Nominee
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
DemocraticHillary CLINTONProfile and NPAT First Lady Schedules Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
Speech on 6-3-08
DemocraticChristopher DODD
WITHDREW on 1-3-08
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
DemocraticJohn EDWARDS
Withdrew on 1-30-08
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
DemocraticAl GORE
Draft Gore Movement; Gore Himself is UnDeclared
Profile and NPAT ... ... Project Vote Smart
DemocraticMike GRAVEL
Became Libertarian
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
DemocraticDennis KUCINICH
WITHDREW on 1-25-08
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
DemocraticBarack OBAMA
Presidential Nominee
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
Race/Religion/Wright on 3/18/08
Speech on 6-3-08
DemocraticBill RICHARDSON
WITHDREW on 1-10-08
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
Democratic Additional Democratic Candidates (Politics 1)... .........
GreenFull List of Green Party Candidates (Politics 1)............
IndependentFull List of Independent Candidates(Politics 1)... .........
IndependentRalph NADER Profile and NPAT ... ... Project Vote Smart
LibertarianBob BARRProfile and NPAT Web Site... Project Vote Smart
Prohibition Party
Anti-Dodge Faction
Gene Amondson Profile and NPATWebsite...Project Vote Smart
Prohibition Party
Dodge Faction
Earl DODGE... .........
RepublicanRudy GIULIANI III
WITHDREW on 1-30-08
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
RepublicanMike HUCKABEE
WITHDREW on 3-5-08
Profile and NPAT Website Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
RepublicanDuncan L. HUNTER
WITHDREW on 1-19-08
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
RepublicanAlan L. KEYES Profile and NPAT Website Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
RepublicanJohn S. MCCAIN III
Presumptive Nominee
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
Speech on 6-3-08
RepublicanRon PAUL Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
Republican W. Mitt ROMNEY
WITHDREW on 2-7-2008
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
RepublicanTom G. TANCREDO
WITHDREW ON 12-20-07
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
RepublicanFred D. THOMPSON
WITHDREW on 1-22-08
Profile and NPAT ... Open Secrets
FEC Info
Project Vote Smart
RepublicanAdditional Republican Candidates (Politics 1) ... .........
SocialistBrian P. Moore ...Website......

Presidential Primaries and Caucuses

    • The Green Papers
      • Arranged state-by-state
      • Each state page has detailed information on the political party Presidential nominating process, including primaries and caucuses, soft v. hard votes

    • New York Times Election Guide
      • Presidential candidate schedules
      • Democratic and Republican primary schedules by date

    • Path to the Presidency (CNN)
      • Includes a US map of primaries by month.
      • Provides specific primary/caucus dates for each state (and in some cases each party of each state)
      • Also includes a general overview of the election cycle, the party conventions, and other pertinent information on the election process

    • Presidential Primaries (Natl Assoc of Secretaries of State)
      • List of presidential primaries and caucuses arranged by date
      • Proposal to rotate presidential primaries by region

    • State Presidential Primary and Caucus Dates (Project Vote Smart)

Primary Results

    • Exit Polls (MSNBC) [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21660890/]
      • Exit polls conducted by Edison as part of pooled news election coverage
      • Questions of voters break presidential choices by state and then factors such as sex, race, age, education, and income of the voter

    • Primary and Caucus Delegate Counts (CNN)
      • Running count of delegates to the Democratic and Republican convention committed to a candidate
      • May be sorted by candidate, state, date

Democratic Primaries and Caucuses

StateBiden
Withdrew
Clinton Dodd
Withdrew
Edwards
Withdrew
Gravel
Became Libertarian
Kucinich
Withdrew
OBAMA
Presumptive Nominee
Richardson
Withdrew
IA 1-3-0801%29%30% 38%02%
NH 1-8-08NR 39%NR 17%01%37%05%
MI 1-15-08NR55%01%
NR
NR0% 04%NRNR
UNCOMMITTED=40%; generally thought to be votes for Edwards and Obama. Democratic Party decided on 5-31-08 to seat Michigan's full delegation but award 1/2 vote apiece due to early primary with 54% for Clinton and 46% for Obama
NV 1-19-0851%04% 45%
SC 1-26-0827% 18% 55%
FL 1-29-0850%14%01%33%
Democratic Party Rules Committee decided to seat full Florida delegation with 1/2 vote apiece due to early primary.
AL 2-5-08 42%01%56%
AK 2-5-0825%74%
AZ 2-5-0851%05%42%
AR 2-5-0869%02%27%
CA 2-5-0852% 04% 42%
CO 2-5-0832% 67%
CN 2-5-08 47% 01% 51%
DE 2-5-0803% 42% 01% 51%
GA 2-5-08 31% 02% 66%
ID 2-5-08 17% 01% 80%
IL 2-5-08 33% 02% 64%
KS 2-5-08 26% 74%
MA 2-5-08 56% 02% 41%
MN 2-5-08 32% 67%
MO 2-5-08 48% 02% 49%
NJ 2-5-08 54% 01% 44%
NM 2-5-08 49% 02% 48% 01%
NY 2-5-08 57% 01% 40%
ND 2-5-08 37% 01% 67%
OK 2-5-08 55% 10% 31%
TN 2-5-08 54% 04% 41%
UT 2-5-08 39% 03% 57%
LA 2-9-0836%57%
NE 2-9-0832%68%
WA Caucus 2-09-0831%68%
ME 2-10-0840%59%
DC 2-12-0824%75%
MD 2-12-0836%60%
VA 2-12-08 35%64%
HI 2-19-0824%76%
WA Primary 2-19-0847%50%
WI 2-19-0841%58%
OH 3-4-0854%44%
RI 3-4-0858%40%
TX Primary 3-4-0851%47%
TX Caucus 3-4-0844%56%
VT 3-4-08 39% 59%
WY 3-8-08 38%61%
MS 3-11-0837%61%
PA 4-22-0855%45%
GU 5-3-08 50%50%
[won by 7 votes]
IN 5-6-08 51% 49%
NC 5-6-0842% 56%
WV 5-13-08 67%26%
KY 5-20-0865%30%
OR 5-20-0842%58%
PR 6-1-0868%32%
MT 6-3-08 41%56%
SD 6-3-08 55%45%

Republican Primaries and Caucuses

State Giuliani
Withdrew
Huckabee
Withdrew
Hunter
Withdrew
Keyes MCCAIN
Presumptive Nominee
Paul Romney
Withdrew
Thompson
Withdrew
IA 1-3-0803% 34% NR 13% 10% 25%13%
WY 1-5-0809%73%18%
Republican Party to seat one half of delegates due to violation of primary scheduling rules
NH 1-8-0809%11% 37%08%32%01%
Republican Party to seat one half of delegates due to violation of primary scheduling rules
MI 1-15-0803%16% 0%0%30%06%39%04%
UNCOMMITTED=2%. Republican Party to seat one half of delegates due to violation of primary scheduling rules
NV 1-19-0804%08%02% 13%13%51% 08%
SC 1-19-0802%30% 33%04%15%16%
Republican Party to seat one half of delegates due to violation of primary scheduling rules
FL 1-29-0815%13%36%03%31%01%
Republican Party to seat one half of delegates due to violation of primary scheduling rules
ME 2-1-0806% 21%19%52%
AL 2-5-08 41%37%03%18%
AK 2-5-08 22% 16%17% 44%
AZ 2-5-0803%09% 47% 04%34%
AR 2-5-08 60% 20% 05%13%
CA 2-5-0805%12% 42% 04% 34%
CO 2-5-08 13% 19% 08% 59%
CN 2-5-08 02% 07% 52% 04% 33%
DE 2-5-08 02% 15% 45% 04% 33%
GA 2-5-08 01% 34% 32% 03% 30%
IL 2-5-08 01% 16% 47% 05% 29%
KS 2-5-08 60% 24% 11% 03%
MA 2-5-0801% 04% 41% 03% 51%
MN 2-5-08 20%% 22% 16% 41%
MO 2-5-0801% 32% 33% 04% 29%
NJ 2-5-0803% 08% 55% 05% 28%
NY 2-5-08 03% 11% 51% 06% 28%
ND 2-5-08 20% 23% 21% 36%
OK 2-5-0801% 33% 37% 03% 25%
TN 2-5-0801% 34% 32% 06% 24% 03%
UT 2-5-08 01% 05% 03% 90%
KS 2-9-0860% 24%11%03%
LA 2-9-0843% 42% 05% 06%
WA Caucus 2-09-08 24% 26% 22% 15%
ME 2-10-08 06% 21% 19% 52%
DC 2-12-0817% 68% 08% 06%
MD 2-12-0829% 55% 06% 06%
VA 2-12-0841% 50%05% 04%
WA Primary 2-19-0822%49%07%20%
WI 2-19-0837% 55%05%02%
OH 3-4-0831% 60% 05%
RI 3-4-0822% 65%07%
TX 3-4-08 38% 51% 05%
VT 3-4-0814%72%07%
MS 3-11-0812% 79%04%
PA 4-22-0811% 73% 16%
IN 5-6-0810% 78%08% 05%
NC 5-6-0812% 03%74% 08%
NE 5-13-08
WV 5-13-0802%10% 01% 76% 05% 04%
HI 5-18-08 Convention
KY 5-20-0802%08% 01% 72%07% 05%
OR 5-20-08 85% 15%
ID 5-27-08 70% 24%
MT 6-3-08 76% 22%
NM 6-3-08 86% 14%
SD 6-3-0807% 70%17% 03%

Michigan Presidential Primary
January 15, 2008

The National Democratic Party does not plan to seat the Michigan delegation at its convention because it is holding its primary before February 5. Voting choices are Clinton, Kucinich and Gravel. Edwards, Obama, and Richardson supporters are urged to vote for Uncommitted. Uncommitted electors can vote for any one of six candidates. Write-ins will not be counted.

The Republican Party may only allow 50% of Michigan's delegation to be seated at its convention for the same reason. All candidates are on the ballot. Voting choices include Uncommitted. Uncommitted electors can vote for any candidate. Write-ins will not be counted. See byline by Todd Spangler in Dec. 1, 2007 issue of the Detroit Free Press

    • Public Act 52 or 2007
      • Establishes a presidential primary on January 15, 2008
      • Text of bill, legislative analyses, and roll call vote

    • Mark L. Grebner v. State of Michigan
      • The Michigan Appeals Court ruled the January 15, 2008 presidential unconstitutional
        • Public Act 52, which allowed political parties to access the names of their voters, is a private law and was not passed by a 2/3 majority
        • Majority Opinion
        • Minority Opinion
      • Michigan Supreme Court ruled the primary legal on November 21, 2007

      As of November 21, 2007, Michigan Supreme Court rules January 15, 2008 primary legal. Candidate list for January 15, 2008 primary is different than February 26, 2008 primary, which had originally been scheduled.

    • Michigan Presidential Primary Facts and Figures (Secy of State)
      • Legislation and history of the presidential primary
      • Includes statistics through 2000, including the winners, voter turnout and campaign expenditures

    • Michigan Democratic Party
      • List of Presidential candidates
      • Presidential Caucus and delegate selection information
        • The caucus was originally scheduled for February 9, 2008 but is superseded by a state primary on January 15, 2008
      • Delegate Selection Plan as revised on November 27, 2007 - NOT IN INTERNET ARCHIVE

    • Primary is Sizing Up to Be a Big Draw
      • Detroit Free Press articles of Dec. 26, 2007
      • Poll taken by Free Press and Local 4 shows 57% of voters plan to vote in January 15th primary, the largest number since 1972
      • However, some people don't know the Democratic ballot will be limited

    • Proposals for Change
      • Two Opponents Team Up for Better Primary
        • Detroit Free Press editorial by Steve Henderson dated December 9, 2007
        • Discusses a joint Democrat/Republican proposal to divide states into regions and hold inter-regional primaries based on a lottery
      • H.R. 1523
        • Calls for interregional lottery for presidential primary
        • Introduced by Sander Levin into U.S. Congress on March 14, 2007
        • Companion bill is S. 2024, introduced by Senator Bill Nelson on September 6, 2007

STATE CANDIDATES

Michigan Candidates and Ballot Proposals

State Primary is August 5, 2008
Presidential Primary was Jan. 15, 2008 as a result of the Supreme Court's decision on Grebner v. Michigan

    • Congressional Candidates (Politics 1)
      • List of Michigan Congressional candidates by district and their web sites
      • Includes all parties running

    • Publius
      • Michigan residents can search for their names and then get a sample ballot to mark prior to a trip to the voting booth

    • Michigan Elections (Michigan Department of State)
      • Timeline of activity prior to the January 15, 2008 presidential primary (may be suspended as late as November 14, 2007)
      • Election, campaign, and lobby registration laws
      • Filing deadlines, ballot proposals
      • Election districts for the various state offices arranged by county
      • List of candidates for state offices and their campaign finances -- eventually
      • Voter registration instructions
      • New Law on Picture Identification at the Polls

    • Non-Partisan Voting Guide for Michigan (League of Women Voters)
      • Candidates answer questions for all state level races on Nov. 4, 2008
      • Includes candidates for governor, the federal and state legislatures, state courts, university governing boards
      • Submissions by lobby groups on the ballot proposals

    • Publius Voter Information Center
      • Allows individuals to verify their voter registration status
      • Will eventually allow voters to view their local ballot prior to the primaries and general election

    • Stateline
      • State political news
      • Blogs on state issues arranged by subject and state

    • Washtenaw County Clerk
      • Ballot proposals and candidates throughout all county jurisdictions
      • Primary results
      • Campaign finances
      • Voter registration information

      Michigan Political Parties

    • Michigan Democratic Party
      • List of Presidential candidates
      • Presidential Caucus and delegate selection information
        • The caucus was originally scheduled for February 9, 2008 but is superseded by a state primary on January 15, 2008
      • Delegate Selection Plan as revised on November 27, 2007 - Not available through the Internet Archive

    • Michigan Green Party
      • Web site has campaign calendar

    • Michigan Libertarian Party
      • List of current office holders and former candidates

    • Michigan Republican Party
      • Instructions on how to become a precinct delegate

Ballot Issues

    • Michigan Ballot Proposals (Secretary of State)
      • Text of the two proposals and their individual origins (petitions, bills, etc)
      • List of proposals which will not be voted upon for various reasons

    • Ballot Proposals (Citizens' Research Council of Michigan)
      • Text of the two ballot proposals, with a summary, analysis, and actual ballot language

Political Assessments

    • CQ Politics
      • Section on House, Senate and Gubernatorial races to watch in 2008
      • Describes the political situation in each of the covered districts, including the 7th and 9th of Michigan

    • Gongwer (Documents Center Password Only)
      • Rich source of election news and information on state government not found elsewhere

    • Stateline
      • State political news
      • Blogs on state issues arranged by subject and state

State Candidates

    • Governors' Terms of Office (National Governors Association)
      • Lists governors by state
      • Indicates when term ends; 1/09 indicates an election due

    • National Association of State Election Directors
      • Web sites of state and territorial election offices
      • Names and contact information for their administrators
      • These web sites should provide campaign and election information

    • Politics1
      • Lists Congressional and gubernatorial candidates by state
      • Links to their web sites when available

    • State Primaries (Foreign Assistance Voters Guide)
      • List of state-level primaries by state and date
      • Includes candidates for governor and Congress

    • Stateline
      • State political news
      • Blogs on state issues arranged by subject and state

Ballot Measures

    • Initiative and Referendum Institute
      • Ballot Watch newsletter lists the state ballot initiatives in the current election
      • Statistics on the historical use of the initiative process

    • Rhodes Cook Letter (UMich Only)
      • Journal with election data and charts on Presidential, Congressional and gubernatorial races
      • Includes public opinion polls, delegate counts, and state initiatives on various issues (e.g. gay marriage ban)

Political Assessments

    • Ballot Access News
      • Non-partisan newsletter on voting issues within the states
      • Archived since 1994

    • Campaigns and Elections (Congressional Quarterly)
      • Election news, political odds on the candidates
      • Especially good for political news within the states
      • Political services and buyer's guide
      • Some sections require password
      • Full text of periodical available to University of Michigan affiliates through Proquest

    • CQ Politics
      • Section on House, Senate and Gubernatorial races to watch in 2008
      • Describes the political situation in each of the covered districts

Local Elections

    • Mayoral Elections Data Base (US Conference of Mayors)
      • Data base includes election results since 1999
      • Expected to include information on 2008 elections

CAMPAIGN

Advertising

    • Livingroom Candidate
      • Major presidential campaign ads, 1952-2008
      • Uses Windows Media Player or RealPlayer

    • National Journal Ad Spotlight (UMich Only)
      • Campaign ads using Real Player since 1998, including the 2008 election
      • Presidential, gubernatorial, and Congressional races
      • RealPlayer is available at campus computing sites and can access all of the ads in this series

    • Paris Hilton Ad
      • Presidential campaign ad for Paris Hilton
      • Humorous text in response to McCain ad comparing Obama to the Hilton/Spears celebrity status

    • Political Communication Laboratory (Stanford)
      • Videos of campaign ads for the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Presidential election
      • Ads for the California governorship in 1994, 2002 and 2006

    • You Tube You Choose
      • Presidential candidate campaign ads on You Tube and user-contributed takes
      • Questions of the candidates asked by individual citizens

Campaign Finances

    • Campaign Money
      • Searchable data base of campaign contributions for Presidential and Congressional candidates beginning in 2000
      • Access by candidate, political action committee, or 527 organization
      • Information is cross-listed in several ways
      • Includes 2008 candidates

    • Center for Responsive Politics
      • Non-partisan research group monitoring campaign finances
      • Summary reports on Presidential and Congressional campaigns by contributor, industry and zip code
      • Data base also searchable by donor

    • Federal Election Commission
      • Summary receipts and disbursements of Presidential and all Congressional candidates
      • Search by candidate and year; then drill down to detail on individual contributors

    • Follow the Money
      • Candidates for state office and their campaign contributors
      • Contributors by industry or special interest for a state
      • No information for 2008 as of 1-25-08

    • Follow the Oil Money
      • Amount of money presidential candidates received from individual oil companies
      • Top House and Senate recipients of oil money and how they voted in relationship to oil issues

    • Fundrace 2008
      • Search by street address to determine the people in your zip code giving more than $200 to a presidential candidate
      • May also search by name of an individual

    • LEXIS Congressional (UMich Only)
      • Under the Members section
      • Search by Member of Congress to determine individual campaign or PAC contributors since 1987 and financial disclosures since 1991
      • Separate section on campaign finance reports
      • Similar to data found on the Federal Election Commission web site but easier to use

    • MapLight Campaign Money
      • Create your own charts of Presidential and Congressional campaign fundraising for insertation into a web page

    • New York Times Election Guide
      • Search by zip code for Presidential campaign donors providing over $200

    • Project Vote Smart
      • Biographies, lobby group ratings, campaign receipts by Political Action Committee subject groupings
      • Candidate answers to the National Political Awareness Test, a questionnaire on issues in the election
      • Congress, Governors, President, and State Legislatures

    • Public v. Private Funding
      • May Fundraising: Good for McCain, Not So Good for Obama (CQ Politics)
        • Believes Obama dropped out of public funding because he can raise more in small contributions
        • Republican National Committee has more funds than Democratic National Committee
      • Campaign Finance Reform (Umich Only)
        • CQ Researcher analysis dated June 13, 2008
        • Overview, graphs, chronology, and pros and cons of campaign finance reform
        • Links to similar articles dating back to 1924

GOVERNORS


Campaign Schedules

    • Map the Candidates (Slate)
      • Mash up of Google maps showing where the Presidential candidates are campaigning on any given day and since December 2007

    • New York Times Election Guide
      • Biographies and blogs of Presidential candidates as well as their stands on$
      • Search by zip code for donors providing over $200
      • Presidential candidate schedules
      • Democratic and Republican primary schedules by date

Candidate Resources

    • Campaigns and Elections (Congressional Quarterly)
      • Election news, political odds on the candidates
      • Political services and buyer's guide
      • Some sections require password
      • Full text of periodical available to University of Michigan affiliates through Proquest

    • Political Resources Online
      • Searchable list of over 3000 political products and services (e.g. pollsters, posters)
        • Approach by specialty, geography, party, and name
      • Calendar of upcoming events, including conventions, state primaries
      • Web sites of federal, state, and local candidates


Debates

    • Pre-Convention Debates
      • American Presidency Project (UCSB)
        • Transcripts of numerous Presidential primary debates (pre-convention) beginning 2000 and Presidential debates beginning 1960
      • MSNBC Debates
        • Videos of presidential debates beginning spring 2007 and transcripts beginning September 2007 for both parties
      • YouTube Debates (CNN)

    • Commission on Presidential Debates
      • Text of the 2008 post-convention debates when they occur
      • Text of debates for 1858, 1948, 1956, 1960, and every four years since 1976

    • C-Span Debates
      • Expect text of 2008 post-convention Presidential Debates as they occur

    • Washington Post Debate Transcripts
      • None available as of 11/5/07 but expected after national conventions


Fact Checkers

    • FactCheck (Univ of Pennsylvania)
      • Analyzes claims made by politicians in the news to determine their accuracy
      • New entries several times per week

    • PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter
      • Congressional Quarterly and St. Petersburg Times effort to analyze truth in candidate claims
      • Approach by candidate, subject, or result (true, fales, somewhere inbetween), by party and where they said it
      • Brief description of reason for the ruling

Gaming

    • 270 to Win
      • Interactive map of electoral college for 2008
      • Begin by viewing the map as neutral, with 2004 results
      • Toggle to change the colors and determine a strategy

    • Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections (David Leip)
      • Latest presidential preference by candidate and state, separately for Republicans and Democrats
      • Overall projections of electoral votes by state
      • Create your own presidential predictions and electoral college calculator

    • Election Day Simulation (University of Washington)
      • Game to teach the electoral process; may take 10 minutes to 6 hours
      • Players choose candidate and campaign staff
      • React to circumstances, issues, crises and geography
      • Election results can be analyzed at the end of the game
      • Game must be downloaded from web site to a hard drive

    • United States Electoral College (NARA)
      • Create your own electoral vote scenario

Humor

    • Indecision 2008 (Comedy Central)
      • Humorous videos and posters of the Presidential election from Stephen Colbert and John Stewart

    • JibJab
      • Singing video of John McCain and Barack Obama

Internet Use

    • 51st State
      • Lists presidential candidates with detailed information about their blogs, calendars, fund-raising tools, store, hiring status, campaign news, RSS feeds and podcasts, facebook/flickr/myspace/youtube accounts
      • Article appeared in the November 2007 edition of Information Today

    • Tech President
      • Presidential candidate blogs and number of web hits
      • Videos and Flickr pictures used in campaigning
      • Facebook supporters
      • Blog on using the web effectively in campaigns

    • You Tube You Choose
      • Presidential candidate campaign ads on You Tube and user-contributed takes
      • Questions of the candidates asked by individual citizens

Legal Issues

    • Campaign Legal Center
      • News, transcripts and rulings on election campaign legal problems at the national and state level
      • Includes campaign finance, media, ethics, and redistricting issues

Lobby Group Web Sites

Lobby Group Ratings

    • Almanac of American Politics (UMich Only)
      • Arranged by state and Congressional District
      • Detailed political profile of each district as well as demographic statistics
      • Political profiles of individual Members of Congress with brief election data, lobby group ratings, key votes in Congress, and campaign finances
      • Also in paper copy in Documents Center (JK 1012 .A44) with older issues in Graduate Library stacks

    • CQ Congress Collection (UMich Only)
      • Member search provides detailed political biographies, brief election statistics, and lobby group ratings since the 97th Congress
      • This is equivalent to material appearing in the printed Politics in America (JK 1010.P76-Ref.)
      • Additional interactive features: analyze voting alignments between members, their state delegations, and party unit
      • Analyze lobby group ratings of individuals Members and groups of Members

    • League of Conservation Voters
      • Floor votes and LCV ratings on environmental issues beginning 1993

    • Project Vote Smart
      • Votes by Members of Congress on major issues by subject with corresponding lobby group ratings



Maps

    • Political Maps
      • National and state mapping of Presidential and Congressional campaigns from numerous sources
      • 2008 maps include various predictions of the Presidential race as well as New York Times campaign finance maps and a few primary maps
      • Archived maps back to 1980 include electoral votes, Presidential elections, Presidential fund-raising, and purple nation maps but not campaign maps

Media Coverage

    • FactCheck (Univ of Pennsylvania)
      • Analyzes claims made by politicians in the news to determine their accuracy
      • New entries several times per week

    • News and Media Coverage (Open Directory)
      • List of television and newspaper web sites with national and regional election coverage

    • PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter
      • Congressional Quarterly and St. Petersburg Times effort to analyze truth in candidate claims
      • Approach by candidate, subject, or result (true, fales, somewhere inbetween), by party and where they said it
      • Brief description of reason for the ruling

    • Press Conference Calls (2008Central)
      • Audio of the Presidential candidates' daily conference phone calls with the press



Political Parties

Political Parties


Conventions


Platforms

Platforms available after respective conventions

Party Affiliation


Public Opinion Polls

Current and Historic Polls

    • 2008 Elections Project (HHH Institute of Public Affairs)
      • Presidential elections from the perspective of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota
      • Presidential job approval ratings and public opinion polls on in-depth issues for those states
      • Presidential, Congressional and gubernatorial election results for the four states since 1960
      • Third party election statistics for 2002 (all states)
      • Some issue briefs

    • Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections (David Leip)
      • Latest presidential preference by candidate and state, separately for Republicans and Democrats
      • Overall projections of electoral votes by state
      • Create your own presidential predictions and electoral college calculator

    • Chicago Council on Global Affairs
      • Annual public opinion polls of U.S. attitudes toward international affairs

    • Electoral Vote
      • Electoral vote projections updated several times per day before the elections
      • Based on the latest public opinion polls
      • As of November 9, 2007, some opinion poll data on Presidential contenders by state

    • Exit Polls (MSNBC) [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21660890/]
      • Exit polls conducted by Edison as part of pooled news election coverage
      • Questions of voters break presidential choices by state and then factors such as sex, race, age, education, and income of the voter

    • Gallup Organization
      • Summary results of most current public opinion polls
      • Gallup Poll, 1935 to present, also available in the Graduate Library Reference Room as HN 90.P9 .G18

    • Kaiser Family Foundation Surveys
      • Surveys on American values, sex, health care issues, politics, and morals
      • Full text since 1996
      • Most in pdf format

    • National Annenberg Election Survey [http://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/ProjectDetails.aspx?myId=1]
      • Weekly reserves provide public opinion on election issues: stem cell research, veteran service, assault weapons, candidate personalities, Iraq
      • Data broken down by demographic characteristics
      • The book and CD-ROM for 2000/2004 is cataloging for the Graduate Library stacks as "Capturing Campaign Dynamics" (JK 1968 2000 .C37 2006)
      • 2008 survey to begin at the end of 2007

    • Pew Research Center
      • Text and statistics of U.S. public opinion polls on politics, public policy, and the press
      • Archive of files since 1985 available upon request

    • Polling Report
      • Biweekly periodical with public opinion polls on politics, business, and culture
      • Examples include favorite actor of all time, the President's approval rating
      • Includes articles on public opinion trends by opinion analysts, pollsters and academics

    • Pollster
      • Use the drop-down box on the right to choose presidential, congressional, or gubernatorial elections; then choose state
      • Provides the latest poll information on the candidates in chart form with a tabular format below
      • Also provides a multitude of links to the various polling organizations themselves

    • Presidential Job Performance (Roper Center)
      • Public opinion polls on Presidential job performance
      • Separate charts from Gallup, Yankelovich, ABC, NBC, and CBS rate the President several times per year since 1993
      • Gallup ratings include begin with 1938 and rate president's since FDR

    • Public Agenda
      • Nonpartisan, issue-oriented think tank
      • Presents eighteen issues, including abortion, crime, gambling, immigration, internet privacy, social security, and welfare
      • For each issue provides background, links to lobby groups, a digest of news stories, basic statistics, and a variety of state laws
      • Numerous public opinion polls

    • Rasmussen Reports Daily Tracking Poll
      • Daily reports on favorite presidential candidates
      • Chart of candidate popularity beginning 2007

    • Real Clear Politics
      • Daily updates of the national and state polls
      • Some news articles from both sides of the aisle

    • Roper I-Poll (UMich Only) [http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/data_access/ipoll/ipoll.html]
      • Search via subject or keyword and date to obtain poll results from a variety of organizations

    • Rhodes Cook Letter (UMich Only)
      • Journal with election data and charts on Presidential, Congressional and gubernatorial races
      • Includes public opinion polls, delegate counts, and state initiatives on various issues (e.g. gay marriage ban)

Historic Polls Only

    • American National Election Studies (UMich-Center for Political Studies and Stanford) [http://www.electionstudies.org/]
      • Documentation on voting, public opinion, and political participation studies
      • Studies 1948-2004 available for download from Data Center for use with for use with SAS, SPSS; recent datasets available for use in STATA
      • Also available free to the public using the SDA Software on the Berkeley web site
        • EXAMPLE using SDA software
        • Web sites include questionnaires, codebooks, and other materials
        • Its Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior provides summary data on social, economic, partisanship, and public opinion, 1948 to present
        • Coverage of 2008 expected at a later date

    • Election Day Exit Polls (Roper Center)
      • Sells CDs of detailed election polls from the news organization pools for 2000 (Voter News Service) and 2004 (Edison Media Research)
      • Detailed microdata at the national and state level includes Presidential and Senatorial choices, reasons for voting, and voter characteristics (age, income, religion)
      • Documents Center CD-ROM (Docs CD-ROM Do258) has data in ASCII and SPSS formats for manipulation
      • CD includes national and state summaries for both years in pdf (e.g. religion cross-tabulated by preferred candidate but not religion by income by preferred candidate

    • Fourth National Survey of Religion and Politics
      • Data and analysis on how members of various religions voted for President and why

    • General Social Survey (ICPSR, NORC, UC-Berkeley) [http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/GSS/]
      • Annual survey since 1972 of public opinion and lifestyle
      • Covers poverty, religion, contraceptive use, opinion on foreign affairs
      • ICPSR site provides background on survey as well as printed publications resulting from the survey
      • Primary data extraction available from ICPSR and UC-Berkeley
      • Computer-Assisted Survey (UC-Berkeley)
        • Data may be manipulated on-line
        • Quick start instructions for the initiate:
          • Choose Demonstration Survey Data Archive
          • Choose the survey you would like and the "browse" option; start
          • Choose "Alphabetical Variable List"
          • Choose your variables and write down their corresponding code names
          • Go back to the original screen and choose "run crosstabulations;" start
          • Imagine the output as a spreadsheet and type in the desired vertical and horizontal code names; also choose output as statistics or percentages
        • Example of General Social Survey

    • National Council on Public Opinion Polls
      • Principles of disclosure
      • 20 questions journalists should ask when reading poll results

    • Political Forecasting
      • Monthly projection of the presidential vote based on several different polling companies
      • Begins May 2004
      • Gearing up for 2008 but not data as of 11/6/2007

    • Public Opinion Quarterly (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only)
      • Full text of scholarly journal analyzing public opinion worldwide
      • Searchable by keyword, author, journal, date
      • Part of JSTOR project
      • Full text also in Graduate Library as HM 261 .A1 P98 with a backup on microfilm as FILM X375


POLICY ISSUES

Comprehensive

For candidate positions, see candidate web sites at Politics One, the National Political Awareness Test as it develops through Project Vote Smart, and links under Presidential Candidate Matching

Public Access Sources

    • Almanac of Policy Issues
      • Extensive web site on nine policy areas: criminal justice, culture and society, economics, education, environment, government operations, health, social welfare, and world affairs
      • Each section is divided into 4-10 subtopics
      • Provides a non-partisan back to the issues
      • Links to articles on all sides of the subject as well as primary documents and related government agencies, think tanks, and organizations
      • Links may be a little dated for 2008 election

    • America's Debate
      • Running debate on policy issues: constitution, social welfare, economics, political campaigns

    • Congress.org
      • Issues section includes action alerts on legislation before Congress from a variety of lobby groups
      • Lists major Presidential candidates and their positions on Civilian Reserve, DC representation, economy, education, environment, job creation, health care, national security, and tax policy

    • FactCheck (Univ of Pennsylvania)
      • Analyzes claims made by politicians in the news to determine their accuracy
      • New entries several times per week

    • On the Issues
      • Extensive web site analyzing positions of Presidential candidates as well as incumbent governors, senators and House members on a breaktaking variety of campaign issues
      • Relies on their voting records but also includes position statements
      • As of November 6, 2007, covers a combination of 2000-2008 candidates

    • National Conference of State Legislatures
      • Pull-down menu of 24 issues facing state government, including budgets, health care, energy, environment, taxes
      • Includes news and articles on innovative projects

    • Politics1
      • Extensive listing of lobby group web sites arranged by issue

    • Project Vote Smart
      • Answers to the National Political Awareness Test by candidates for federal and state offices

    • See also Candidate/Voter Issue Matching, Public Opinion Polls, and Platforms

Academic Sources

    • Congressional Quarterly (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only)
      • Weekly publication with non-partisan political analysis of Congress
      • Identifies major legislation, the issues, and players
      • Political party and election analysis
      • Web coverage begins in 1983 and is searchable
      • Separate index for roll call votes beginning 1995
      • Congressional Quarterly Almanac (Doc.Cen. JK 1 .C756--Ref.) is a reformulation of the weeklies, 1945-2006

    • CQ Researcher (UMich Only)
      • Large number of debate topics ranging from abortion to immigration to Social Security
      • Each topic provides a summary, background information, and bibliography
      • Some of the information goes back to the 1930s

    • Congressional Universe (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only)
      • Indexes Congressional committee hearings by subject, committee, date, and witness since 1970
        • Some hearings available in full text on the web
        • All hearings in print or microfiche format in the Documents Center
      • Includes bills and bill status, 1989+, all laws since 1789, Congressional Record for floor debates since 1985, and federal regulations since 1980

    • National Journal (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only)
      • National Journal focuses on the politics of the Executive Branch with some reference to current legislation
      • Full text since 1977 available through the University of Michigan's campus license to Congressional Universe


Abortion

    • Abortion Statistics (Statistical Abstract of the United States)
      • Annual publication with data compiled from various government and non-government sources
      • Section 2, includes abortion statistics
      • The 2002 edition has tables 88-90 on abortion by age, race, state, and length of gestation
      • More current versions are less specific

    • Partial Birth Abortion Ban (THOMAS)
      • S. 3 passed into law as PL 108-105 in October 2003
      • Includes full text, floor debates, and roll call votes
      • The law was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in Gonzalez v. Carhart April 18, 2007

    • State Homicide Laws (National Right to Life)
      • State homicide laws recognizing an unborn's right to life
      • Divided into three categories and subarranged by state
      • Includes citation to the law

    • State Policies on Abortion (Guttmacher Institute)
      • Series of policies on abortion issues with comparisons for individual states
      • Covers partial birth abortion bans, medicaid funding, parental consent, and projected abortion policy if Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court

    • Historic Supreme Court Cases Regarding Abortion (Cornell)
      • List of key supreme court cases that defined the courts stand on abortion
      • Each case includes links to the syllabus, opinion, concurrence(s), and/or dissenting opinion(s)

    • Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings
      • Site provides links to confirmation hearings of each supreme court justice since 1971
      • Each hearing has a table of contents that links to various sections of witness testimony, questions and answers to the nominee, and submitted statements from outside interest groups
      • Might include various comments about a nominee's previous rulings and views on abortion

    • CRS Report - Abortion: Legislative Response (RL33467)
      • Report published by the Congressional Research Service on June 8, 2006
      • Report examines the history of legislative and judicial decisions regarding abortion

Economics

Economic Indicators

    • Budget and Economic Outlook, (Congressional Budget Office)
      • On-going series analyzing the President's budget
      • Projects yearly expenditures and revenues for the 10-year period

    • Economagic (Ted Bos)
      • Time series of numerous economic indicators collected by the federal government
      • Create a chart of S&P 500 total returns (stock market) using the Most Frequently Requested link

    • Economic Indicators (FRB-St.Louis)
      • Gross Domestic Product, price, employment and monetary data
      • Most time series begin in the 1940s; graphs and charts for past few years
      • ASCII or various spreadsheet formats

    • Economic Report of the President
      • Fourteen chapters discuss the President's view of the economy, including solvency, manufacturing, health care, foreign trade, government regulation, energy, and environment
      • Detailed statistical tables of economic indicators
      • Submitted to Congress, February 2007

    • Household Economics (Census Bureau)
      • Historical and current data on personal income and poverty by characteristics
      • Data through 2006

Mortgage Crisis

    • Center for Responsible Lending
      • Statistics on the number of subprime mortgages, amount in default, and likely percentage of foreclosures
      • Possible ripple effects of foreclosures on the economy

    • Predatory and Subprime Lending Mortgage Issues (House Committee on Financial Services)
      • Describes the Mortgage Reform and Predatory Lending Act of 2007 approved by the committee on November 6, 2007
      • Includes a foreclosure manual to assist homeowners
      • Legislative Proposals on Reforming Mortgage Practices was a hearing held on October 24, 2007 prior to the bill's committee approval

    • U.S. Housing Market Conditions (HUD)
      • Quarterly journal with national and regional market conditions, including housing starts and foreclosures

    • Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007
      • Additional Title: " To amend the Truth in Lending Act to reform consumer mortgage practices and provide accountability for such practices, to establish licensing and registration requirements for residential mortgage originators, to provide certain minimum standards for consumer mortgage loans, and for other purposes"
      • Passed in the House of Representatives 11/15/2007
      • THOMAS provides detailed information on current status, amendments, CRS summary, CBO cost analysis, etc.

    • Home Foreclosures Over Time (Department of Housing and Urban Development)
      • Publication: U.S. Housing Markets Conditions (2nd Quarter of 2007)
      • Refer to Table 18 (Mortgage Delinquencies and Foreclosures Started: 1986–Present) for detailed information about the foreclosures over time

    • Tips on avoiding foreclosure (Department of Housing and Urban Development)
      • Provides a list of ten suggested ways to avoid foreclosure

    • Current News on Foreclosures (CNN)
      • Website by cnn.money.com that provides daily articles regarding the current housing crisis

    • Takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddic Mac
      • Secretary of Treasury Paulson's announcement on the government takeover of the two mortgage giants, made September 7, 2008
      • Includes links to more detailed briefings

Stock Market Bailout

Federal Budget and Debt

    • Federal Budget FY 2008
      • Budget and appendix can be downloaded by chapter or in their entirety
      • Receipts and expenditures available in several spreadsheet formats
      • Historical Tables in one pdf file

    • National Priorities Project
      • Lobby group on federal budget priorites
      • Data on previous budgets and the impact of current budget proposals on state and local areas
      • Subjects include jobs, education, hunger, health care, taxes, and children

    • House Ways and Means Committee
      • Selected hearings on tax code revision

    • U.S. National Debt Clock
      • Total federal deficit updated daily plus per capita share

    • Bureau of Public Debt
      • Daily listing of federal deficit down to the penny

Taxes

    • Tax Policy Center
      • Frequently updated reports comparing the McCain and Obama tax policies
      • Includes charts on how each would change individual income taxes given various household scenarios


Education

    • Education Commission of the States
      • NCLB reauthorization database has numerous recommendations on improving the program from itself and other organizations, such as the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers

    • National Conference of State Legislatures
      • State accountability plans and recommendations for improvement

    • No Child Left Behind (Education Dept)
      • Program requires schools to test students on reading and math
      • Parents of children in schools which fail to meet standards two years in a row can send them to different schools at district expense
      • Tutoring for children in schools behind standards for three years
      • Web site has regulations, information for teachers and parents
      • Link to a searchable database of individual School Matters

    • CRS Report - The No Child Left Behind Act: An Overview of Reauthorization Issues for the 110th Congress (RL33749)
      • Report published by the Congressional Research Service on April 20, 2007
      • Report examines the concerns about the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)

    • Beyond NCLB: Fulfilling the Promise of Our Nation's Children (ERIC)
      • Report regarding successes and shortcomings of No Child Left Behind
      • Used to assess the program as Congress considered reauthorizing the legislation

    • The Seven Deadly Sins of No Child Left Behind
      • Essay written by Paul D. Houston, the President of the American Association of School Administrators
      • Published in the Phi Delta Kappan
      • Outlines the shortcomings of the NCLB legislation, including: NCLB assumes that American schools are broken, NCLB implies that standardized testing is the only way to evaluate educational programs, NCLB doesn't address economically depressed areas, NCLB uses scare tactics against teachers, NCLB lacks clarity, NCLB doesn't consider expert advice, and NCLB and international comparisons in education do not consider higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy.

    • NEA Offers Plan to Improve NCLB (National Education Association)
      • Website includes NEA's recommended changes, ways that the general public can get involved, information about presidential candidates' stands, You Tube videos of statements about NCLB, and more.


Energy

    • See also Gas Prices

    • Alternative Fuels (UMich)
      • Comprehensive web site to fossil fuel alternatives written for the 2008/09 National High School Debate Topic

    • Department of Energy
      • Main departmental web page links to President Bush's Twenty-in-Ten Proposal for improving energy security
      • Tips on how to save energy on appliances and gasoline in cards
      • Strategic goals

    • Energy Information Administration
      • Access current and historic data on various energy sources, including production, consumption, prices, and foreign trade
      • Includes world crude oil prices by country
      • Analysis of alternative fuels

    • Walker v. Cheney
      • Chronology by GAO of its attempts to get names of participants on Vice President Cheney's Energy Task Force
      • Judge ultimately ruled in favor of Mr. Cheney and the General Accounting Office aborted its attempt

    • Gas Prices Since 1973
      • Excel spreadsheet created by the Energy Information Administration showing the average price of gas in U.S. Cities
      • Includes information about leaded, unleaded regular, and unleaded premium gas

    • This Week In Petroleum
      • Provides analysis of petroleum prices each week, including crude oil, gasoline, propane, and distillate
      • Includes many informative charts and graphics to help users see trends across the United States

    • Petroleum Basics
      • Website provides many links to web pages on various facets dealing with petroleum from the history of the market to how prices are determined
      • Website is created by the Energy Information Administration

Alternative Fuels

    • Fuel Ethanol: Background and Public Policy Issues (RL33290)

      • CRS report that outlines the history of ethanol fuel and policy issues related to supporting this legislation
      • Report published July 30, 2007

    • Alternative Fuels Comparison Chart (Department of Energy)
      • Chart created by the Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center
      • Chart compares gasoline, no. 2 diesel, biodiesel, CNG, electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, LNG, liquid petroleum gas, and methanol
      • Includes 18 categories of comparison, including: energy released per gallon, environmental concerns, security and amount of supply, etc.


Gay Marriage

    • Bush Statement on Constitutional Amendment
      • Text of President's announcement supporting a constitutional ban on gay marriage
      • Made at the White House on February 24, 2004

    • Constitution of the United States Annotated
      • Official text of the constitution and amendments annotated with Supreme Court cases
      • Only 33 amendments were approved by Congress and 27 ratified by the states
      • Text of Unratified Amendments

    • Constitutional Amendment
      • H.J.Res 106
        • Text of bill defeated in the House on Sept. 30, 2004
        • Roll Call Vote (227-Y; 186-N)
      • S.J.Res.40
        • Text of bill
        • Motion to proceed with consideration withdrawn on July 15, 2004

    • Defense of Marriage Act
      • Federal legislation passed in 1996 describing marriage as involving one man and one woman
      • PL 104-199; H.R. 3396

    • Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health (Mass Supreme Court)
      • Text of Massachusetts Supreme Court decision on Nov. 18, 2003 requiring state to permit gay marriages by May 2004

    • Healthy Marriage Initiative
      • Provides grants on training to promote strong marriages between heterosexual adults
      • Funded through the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005

    • Lawrence v. Texas
      • Supreme Court Decision of June 26, 2002 outlawing sodomy ban in Texas

    • Marriage Laws by State (Human Rights Campaign)
      • State-by-state laws on same sex marriage, adoption, custody, non-discrimination, sodomy, and surrogacy
      • Also includes pending legislation and ballot proposals

    • Polling Report
      • Public opinion polls on a gay marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution and state civil union laws

    • Vermont Guide to Civil Unions
      • Step-by-step buide to applying for a civil union certificate
      • Frequently-asked questions



Global Warming

    • Climate Change Impacts on the United States
      • Full text of report found under Overview
      • PDF only; divided into chapters, some about 2 MB
      • Dated 2004

    • EPA Global Warming Web Site
      • Divided into climate, emissions, impact, and actions
      • Easy-to-understand text with concrete examples and charts
      • A visitor center gears the information for various users (wildlife advocates, health professionals, citizens, meteorologists)

    • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
      • Synthesizes scientific reports on climate change and recommends governmental action
      • Guidelines for greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, and restoring the ozone layer
      • Its Synthesis Report #4
        • Released on November 17, 2007
        • World can expect 4.5 foot rise in oceans in next 1000 years
        • If carbon dioxide not capped by 2015 and reductions begin, Europe will lose species, Africa will suffer from water shortages, Asia from flooding, North America from longer and hotter heat waves
      • Winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize along with Al Gore

    • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changes
      • Text of United Nations treaty and list of ratifications
      • Text of documents from previous and forthcoming conventions
      • Text of the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions
      • Reports on the implementation of various agreements

    • What You Can Do (An Inconvenient Truth)
      • Provides a list of ways for the general public to help fight the war against global warming
      • Other sections of the website discuss the science of global warming and the movie "An Inconvenient Truth"

    • CRS Reports on Global Warming and Related Issues (National Council for Science and the Environment)
      • Provides links to sixty-four CRS reports on climate change and related topics
      • Reports cover state, national, and global efforts to fight climate change

    • Global Climate Change Policy Handbook (White House)
      • Lays out the Bush Administration's agenda on global climate change issues (February 2002)

    • Senate Environment and Public Works - Issues Page (Democrat)
      • Includes press releases, speeches, and hearings regarding global warming issues

    • Senate Environment and Public Works - Issues Page (Republican)
      • Includes press releases, speeches, blogs, and hearings regarding global warming issues

    • Carbon Footprint Calculator (Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works)
      • Provides a way for users to evaluate the amount of carbon they are responsible for releasing into the air each year
      • Provides suggestions for ways that people can cut down on carbon emissions

Carbon Tax


Health Insurance

Health Insurance Coverage

    • Census Bureau
      • Longitudinal and cross-sectional health insurance statistics by state and various socioeconomic characteristics
      • Data covers 1987-2006
    • Massachusetts Health Insurance Reform of 2006 (Families USA)
      • Explains the program expanding coverage to all citizens
    • Losing Health Insurance (Families USA)
      • Investigative report finds 675,000 people lost health insurance coverage in 1997 as direct result of welfare reform
      • Minority children most likely to lack coverage
    • Uninsured in America (PBS News Hour)
      • Ongoing series of reports on health insurance coverage and state efforts to expand it

Medicare Prescription Drugs

    • Medicare Trustees Report
      • Detailed expenses and projections on the health of the trust fund

    • Public Law 108-173
      • Text of the medicare prescription drug law passed by Congress in December 2003
      • Originally H.R. 1, 108th Congress
      • Includes legislative history, amendments, speeches in the Congressional Record, and roll call votes
    • CQ Weekly Report (UMich Only)
      • Search for the politics of passage
      • A summary of provisions appears in the Jan. 24, 2004 issue, p. 238
    • AARP Prescription Drugs
      • Guidance in choosing a prescription drug plan
    • Families USA (Families USA)
      • Analysis of the operation of the current prescription drug plan
    • House of Representatives Prescription Drug Task Force
      • Numerous reports and studies on cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. versus foreign countries, cost to seniors as opposed to HMOs, and drug company profits
      • Authors include the Congressional Research Service and lobby groups
    • Bush: New Medicare Price Tag Means "Tough Choices" (CNN)
      • News report dated January 30, 2004
      • OMB estimates Medicare prescription drug package to cost $535 billion rather than CBO's estimate of $400 billion over 10 years
    • Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007
      • Text of S.3, which would have amended the law to allow for price negotiation
      • Vote blocked by Senate Republicans on April 18, 2007
      • Includes text of bill, legislative status, statements in Congressional Record, and Apri l8th roll call vote

State Children's Health Insurance Program

    • Congressional Bills
      • H.R. 976
        • Reauthorization expanded the SCHIP program over the next five years
        • Link includes bill text, House report, CBO cost estimate, and roll call votes in the House and Senate
        • Vetoed by President on October 3, 2007

      • H.R. 3963 1
        • Bill introduced on October 24, 2007
        • Text of bill, House and Senate roll call votes

    • State Children's Health Insurance Program (HCFA)
      • Provides grants to states for providing health insurance to poorer children under medicaid
      • State statistics on enrollment
      • Laws, regulations, and individual state plans

    • SCHIP (Congressional Budget Office)
      • Analysis of the President's proposals on funding the State Children's Health Program
      • Estimates of uninsured children


Immigration

    • Congressional Bills
      • S. 1348
        • Included legal path to immigration for illegal aliens
        • Died when Senate refused to limit debate on June 7, 2007
        • Text of bill and summary, debates on the floor of Congress and roll call vote
      • S. 1639
        • Included $4 billion in border security
        • Died when Senate refused to limit debate on June 28, 2007
        • Text of bill and summary, debates on the floor of Congress and roll call vote
      • Immigration Overhaul Stymied (UMich Only)
        • Article dated July 9, 2007 describing the failed Senate negotiations to create an immigration bill

    • Immigrant Identification
      • The ABC's of ID's for U.S. Immigrants (National Conference of State Legislatures
        • Explains the various state requirements to identify aliens for identity of employment
      • Real ID
        • Public Law 109-13
          • Established asylum, identification, and border fence policies
          • States must follow certain procedures for issuing driver's licenses to use as a permanent federal ID but can opt out (e.g. issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens) as long as the driver's licenses are marked as unusable for federal identification
          • CQ Weekly's Summary of Law (UMich Only)
        • Real ID Update
          • Explains the intent of the Real ID Act and the various actions states have taken to comply or not comply with its requirements
        • Real ID News
          • Numerous news stories on state implementation of the Real ID law
        • Driver's Licenses for Illegal Aliens (Spitzer)
          • Eliot Spitzer's speech of November 14 withdrawing a proposal to given illegal aliens driver's licenses
          • Explained his rationale and blamed the federal government for failing to protect the borders

    • Enacted State Legislation Related to Immigrants and Immigration
      • Survey of state bills on immigration and their status (passed, defeated, vetoed) from January to July 2007
      • Subjects include education, public health, driver's licenses, employment

    • Summary of State Laws on the Issuance of Driver's Licenses (Congressional Research Service)
      • Table of state laws on licenses for illegal aliens
      • Updated September 13, 2005
      • CRS Report RL32127

    • Border Security

    • Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population (PEW Hispanic Center)
      • National data on the numbers, nationality, family characteristics and occupations held by illegal aliens in the United States
      • Based on the 2005 Current Population Survey


Iran

    • Congressional Bills
      • H.R. 1400
        • Bans imports and expands the ban on most exports to Iran
        • Calls on President Bush to declare the Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization and grants him the authority to block its assets
        • House Vote 895
      • H.R. 1585

    • International Atomic Energy Agency
      • Text of UN Security Council resolutions on Iran's nuclear program
      • Press releases and statements on inspections and safeguards

    • Economic Sanctions
      • Details of economic sanctions against Iran announced by Secretary of State Rice and Treasury Secretary Paulson on October 25, 2007

    • Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities (National Intelligence Estimate)
      • Report suggests that Iran halted its nuclear weapon program in 2003 as the result of international pressure
      • Believes Iran could still continue its weapons program in the future but it would not be ready before 2015
      • Released December 3, 2007

    • Iranian President's Speech to the United Nations (September 25, 2007)
      • Transcript of a speech to the General Assembly of the United Nations by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad begins on p. 17

    • Iranian President's Speech to Columbia University (September 25, 2007)
      • Transcript of a speech to Columbia University students by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
      • Includes introductory remarks by President of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger

    • Amnesty International Reports On Human Rights Violations in Iran
      • List of links to Amnesty International reports on violations of human rights

    • State Department Human Rights Report: Iran (March 8, 2006)
      • Part of the "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" Series published by the U.S. Department of State

    • CIA World Factbook: Iran
      • Includes information about Iran's history, geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, and military
      • Also includes information about transnational issues related to Iran


Iraq

Entering the War

War Costs

    • Casualties

    • Cost of War in Iraq (National Priorities Project
      • Running cost of the Iraq war in the United States as a whole
      • May be broken down by per person or per household
      • Compares war costs with the cost of hiring teachers, granting college scholarships, public housing, children's health, and public education

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Iraqi Politics

Exit Strategies


Presidential Primary Competition

    • Presidential Primaries (Natl Assoc of Secretaries of State)
      • List of presidential primaries and caucuses arranged by date
      • Proposal to rotate presidential primaries by region

    • Presidential Elections Reform: Primaries (Fair Vote)
      • Lays out several different plans for allocating the primaries between states
      • Texts of newspaper articles describing the state scramble to be the first primary

    • Path to the Presidency (CNN)
      • Includes a US map of primaries by month.
      • Provides specific primary/caucus dates for each state (and in some cases each party of each state)
      • Also includes a general overview of the election cycle, the party conventions, and other pertinent information on the election process


Social Security

    • National Commission on Retirement Policy
      • Recommends retirement age of 70 by year 2029 and putting 2% of payroll tax into individual savings accounts
      • Report co-chaired by Members of Congress and private sector
      • Released May 19, 1998

    • Polling Report
      • Public opinion polls on social security with the most recent first
      • Primarily covers future availability of Social Security and whether private accounts should be developed

    • Social Security History
      • Extensive history of social security and legislation since 1935
      • Includes presidential statements, Roosevelt through Bush II
      • Archival materials and pamphlets
      • Reports of the Greenspan Commission (1983) and the President's Commission on Social Security (2001)

    • Social Security Trustees Report: 2006
      • Social Security funds to become stretched, 2010-2030 and exhausted by 2042

    • Galveston Plan v. Social Security Plan
      • Comparative report published by the Social Security Administration in 1999


Stem Cell Research


Terrorism


ELECTION RESULTS AND VOTING

General Election Results - 2008

National Comprehensive

    • Election Night (Congressional Research Service)
      • State-by-state guide to official state election web sites as well as the major newspaper and television web sites
      • Great source for determining results as they develop on November 4, 2008
      • Prepared by the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service staff (Jennifer, Jerry, Julius, Pam) for a House committee and used by permission

    • 2008 Election Results (CNN)
      • Results by office (President, Senate, House, Governor, Ballot Proposals) and then subdivided by state
      • Includes exit polls by state and final results by state and county
      • Rolling counts expected on 11-4-08

    • Our Campaigns
      • Election results for President, Senate, House, and Governors by state expected on 11-5-08
      • Each table provides votes of winner, percent, margin of victory, and percent of victory
      • Presidential table also includes state electoral votes and split electoral votes for state when applicable
      • Includes information on pre-election polls

President

    • Maps of the 2008 US Presidential Election Results
      • Maps created by Mark Newman of the University of Michigan representing alternative ways to look at the election
      • Includes state maps skewed to represent population size and number of electoral votes
      • County maps skewed to show percentages of the electorate

    • Presidential Election Results - 2008 (MSNBC)
      • Top spot for election results
      • Data and percentages by state and county
      • Exit polls for each county include age, race, top issues, religious affiliation

    • Presidential Election Results - 2008 (CNN)
      • Results by office (President, Senate, House, Governor, Ballot Proposals) and then subdivided by state
      • Includes exit polls by state and final results by state and county

    • Presidential Election Map by County (Princeton)
      • Map showing Presidential results by county in a continuum from red to purple to blue
      • Additional maps show mountains and population density
      • By Robert Vanderbei
      • Data for 2000-2006; possible update after 2008 election

    • Presidential Results by Congressional District
      • Not compiled in the normal course of elections
      • PoliData is a commercial source compiling the data for sale
      • Congressional district votes for president since 1992 are available as free .pdf documents; see the bottom of each state page found at: http://www.polidata.us/books/default.htm
      • Results from previous elections appear under Congressional District descriptions in Almanac of American Politics (UMich Only)

Congressional

    • Congress 2009/2010 (UMich)
      • Spreadsheet for House, Senate, and Gubernatorial candidates showing incumbent and party, person elected and party, and person defeated
      • Color coded and may also be sorted for power change purposes

    • House Results by State - 2008 (CNN)
      • Use pull down box for list of all races by state
      • Not dependent on maps

    • Senate Election Results - 2008 (CNN)
      • List of Senate election results by state
      • Clicking on a state gives election results by county and an exit poll by sex and age

    • Congressional and Gubernatorial Candidates: 2008 (UMich)
      • Spreadsheet of 2007 Governors and 110th Congressional incumbents indicating re-election or retirement plans
      • The Gubernatorial and Senate worksheets also list those not up for re-election in 2008
      • Details on individual races will be added as state primaries are held; general election results appear after 11-4-08

Governors

    • 2008 Election Results (CNN)
      • Statewide election results for governor positions as well as a map
      • Click on the state gives exit polls by age and sex as well as a county map of results

    • Congressional and Gubernatorial Candidates: 2008 (UMich)
      • Spreadsheet of 2007 Governors and 110th Congressional incumbents indicating re-election or retirement plans
      • The Gubernatorial and Senate worksheets also list those not up for re-election in 2008
      • Details on individual races will be added as state primaries are held; general election results appear after 11-4-08

All States

Michigan

    • Michigan Unofficial General Election Results (Secy. of State)
      • Results for President, school board, proposals, university governance, judgeships, and statewide proposals by county
      • Results for Congressional and state legislative districts by district
      • Rolling data to appear the night of 11-4-08

    • Washtenaw County Election Results: November 2008
      • Votes for state and local office for the entire county and individual precincts
      • Includes voter turnout and people voting straight party tickets
      • Data to appear after 11-4-08


Primaries and Caucuses

    • Primary Scorecard (CNN)
      • Running count of delegates committed to individual candidates by state
      • Includes pledged by vote and unpledged (can decide on own)
      • Click on state for more information about the primaries and caucuses
      • Data expected as primaries held in January 2008

    • Calendars
      • State Presidential Primary Dates (Project Vote Smart)
        • List of Republican adn Democratic Presidential Primary dates for each state
        • Updated frequently to include changes
      • State Primaries: 2008
        • List of primary elections by state or date
        • Primaries are statewide; they may or may not include Presidential preferences


Election Laws


Electoral College

    • 270 to Win
      • Interactive map of electoral college for 2008
      • Begin by viewing the map as neutral, with 2004 results
      • Toggle to change the colors and determine a strategy

    • Faithless Electors
      • List and brief biographies of the 156 electors who did not vote for president as indicated by their state's electoral vote

    • Electoral College (Fair Vote)
      • How the electoral college works, which states bind their electors, faithless electors
      • Maine and Nebraska proportion votes by Congressional District; all other states use winner-take
      • Previous controversial elections, which states have advantage, previous attempts at reform
      • Organization is lobbying for Presidential election by popular vote

    • United States Electoral College (NARA)


Voter Registration and Participation

Registration Information

Statistics

    • National Election Studies (UMich-Center for Political Studies)

    • Political Party Affiliation
      • Election Data Book 1992 (GL Ref. JK 1967 .E44)
        • Table D for each state provides political party registration for those states where party registration is required:
            AK AR CA CO CN DE FL IA KS KY LA MA MD NE NV NH NJ NC NM OK OR PA SD WV WY DC
      • Election Day Exit Polls (Roper Express - UMich Only)
        • Sells CDs of detailed election polls from the news organization pools for 2000 (Voter News Service) and 2004 (Edison Media Research) plus provides some tabulations online
        • Detailed microdata at the national and state level includes Presidential and Senatorial choices, reasons for voting, and voter characteristics (age, income, religion, party affiliation)
        • Independent votes for Republican or Democrat
      • Exit Polls (MSNBC) [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21660890/]
        • Exit polls conducted by Edison as part of pooled news election coverage
        • Includes voter's party affiliation regardless of how voted in primary

    • Road to American Democracy, 1984-1990 (Harvard/MIT Data Center)
      • Variables include 1 population items from the 1990 Census (race, households, families) plus biennial voting and registration data, 1984-1990, for cities and townships
      • Registration and voting data by voting precinct, 1984-1990
      • Data may be downloaded in zipped format or searched on line and cross-tabulated
      • Reviewing the codebook (pdf or zipped format) is necessary to use the data
      • Data results in SPSS, SAS, STATA, and sometimes ASCII formats

    • Voter Registration, 1952- (National Election Study)
      • National level voter registration data at two-year intervals since 1952
      • Data by political party, income, black/white, education, occupation, and union membership

    • Voting and Registration Data (Census Bureau)
      • Sociodemographic characteristics of voters (age, race, sex, employment, and education status) since 1964
      • Does not include who people voted for
      • Projections of voting age population for the current election by state and then age, race, sex

    • Vanishing Voter (Harvard)
      • Weekly poll on public interest in 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections
      • Updates for 2008 expected


After the Elections

    • President Elect
      • Change.Gov
        • Daily news on the Presidential transition beginning with Senator Obama's speech on November 4, 2008
        • Biographies of the president, vice president and their spouses
        • High level posts to be filled, job applications, and an opportunity to "share your story"
      • Presidential Transition Resources (GSA)
        • Organization chart of the government
        • Links to leadership positions to be filled (most current versions of the plum and prune books)
        • Detailed guidance on records and ethics for nominees and appointees
        • Transition laws and links to inaugural information

    • Plum Book 2008
      • List of positions available for Presidential appointment, pay scale, and incumbent
      • "Plum" refers to "Political Plum"
    • Prune Book 1997
      • Administrative skills needed for federal executive jobs
      • Prepared by industry to assist changes in administration


HISTORICAL ELECTIONS

Historical Campaigns

    • America Votes: Presidential Campaign Memorabilia from the Duke University Special Collections Library
      • Photographs of campaign buttons, posters and brochures, 1796-2000
      • Extent of coverage varies with the election

    • Ease History (MSU)
      • Clips of television Presidential campaign ads, 1952-2004
      • Uses flash player
      • Searchable by year, winners/losers, positive/negiative, issues, and themes
      • Stunning piece of research

    • Livingroom Candidate (American Museum of the Moving Image)
      • At least one campaign video apiece for each of the major Presidential candidates, 1952-2008
      • Available in a variety of viewing formats, including RealPlay and Windows Media

    • National Journal Ad Spotlight (UMich Only)
      • Campaign ads using Real Player since 1998, including the 2008 election
      • Presidential, gubernatorial, and Congressional races
      • RealPlayer is available at campus computing sites and can access all of the ads in this series

    • Political Communication Laboratory (Stanford)
      • Videos of campaign ads for the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Presidential election
      • Ads for the California governorship in 1994, 2002, 2003, and 2006


Historic Election Results

Convention Ballots | General Election Results | Party Affiliation | Primary Results

General Election

    • 270 to Win
      • Map of electoral college votes since 1789

    • America Votes (Richard Scammon)
      • Votes for President and Governor by state and county beginning 1952
      • Votes for Members of Congress by Congressional District beginning 1946
      • Only available in paper copy: Reference Room JK 1967 .A1 A68
      • Two-year time lag between the general elections and publication date
      • Related publication: America at the Polls, 1920-56 (Ref. JK 524 .G72 v.1) has county-level Presidential election results within each state section and Presidential preference primary results at the back of the book
      • Presidential Elections Since 1789 (Doc. Cen. JK 524 .C746) provides the popular vote by state (not county), 1824-1916, and electoral votes by state (the only votes available), 1789-1916

    • Clerk of the House
      • Historical data includes national electoral college results since the 1st Congress, Presidential and Senatorial election results by state and House by district since 1920
      • Data on the political divisions in Congress since the 34th Congress

    • CNN

    • CQ Voting and Elections Collection (UMich Only)
      • Use main screen to search for statewide election results for President and Congress, (primary, general and caucus), 1789 to present
      • Main screen includes articles and selected documents on the election process and political parties, browsable within category or searchable by keyword (e.g. internet voting)
      • Side frame permits manipulation of party control and party split data
      • Export/download on side frame provides Excel spreadsheets of historic Presidential, Gubernatorial and Congressional elections by state and county or Congressional District; equivalent of paper America Votes

    • David Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
      • Maps and tables with Presidential votes since 1860
        • Maps outline state electoral votes
        • Tables show major and independent presidential and vice presidential candidates, popular and electoral votes, and percentages for both
      • County election data for 1912, 1968, and 1980-2008

    • Election Day Exit Polls (Roper Express - UMich Only)
      • Sells CDs of detailed election polls from the news organization pools for 2000 (Voter News Service) and 2004 (Edison Media Research) plus provides some tabulations online
      • Detailed microdata at the national and state level includes Presidential and Senatorial choices, reasons for voting, and voter characteristics (age, income, religion, party affiliation)
      • Independent votes for Republican or Democrat
      • Documents Center CD-ROM (Docs CD-ROM Do258) has data in ASCII and SPSS formats for manipulation
      • CD includes national and state summaries for both years in pdf (e.g. religion cross-tabulated by preferred candidate but not religion by income by preferred candidate

    • National Election Studies (UMich-Center for Political Studies)
      • Documentation on voting, public opinion, and political participation studies
      • Studies 1994+ available for ftp for use with SAS or SPSS
      • Documentation in Word Perfect format
      • Its Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior provides summary data on social, economic, partisanship, and public opinion, 1952 to present
      • 2008 is being organized as of 11-9-7

    • A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 1787-1825 (Tufts/American Antiquarian Society)
      • Search for state, county and city election results for federal, state, and local officials, 1787-1825
      • You can search by combinations of states, candidates, office titles, dates
      • This is original research by Philip Lampi from a time when election records were scattered

    • PoliData
      • PRESIDENTIAL and Congressional election results by district, 1992-2004

    • Political Maps
      • National and state mapping of Presidential and Congressional campaigns from numerous sources
      • 2008 maps include various predictions of the Presidential race as well as New York Times campaign finance maps and a few primary maps
      • Archived maps back to 1980 include electoral votes, Presidential elections, Presidential fund-raising, and purple nation maps but not campaign maps

    • Road to American Democracy, 1984-1990 (Harvard/MIT Data Center)
      • Variables include population items from the 1990 Census (race, households, families) plus biennial voting and registration data, 1984-1990, for cities and townships
      • Registration and voting data by voting precinct, 1984-1990
      • Data may be downloaded in zipped format or searched on line and cross-tabulated
      • Reviewing the codebook (pdf or zipped format) is necessary to use the data
      • Data results in SPSS, SAS, STATA, and sometimes ASCII formats

    • United States Electoral College (NARA)
      • Electoral college laws and procedures
      • State-by-state electoral college votes, 1789-2008

    • Voter Registration, 1952- (National Election Study)
      • National level voter registration data at two-year intervals since 1952
      • Data by political party, income, black/white, education, occupation, and union membership

    • Voting America (University of Richmond)
      • Maps of presidential election results by county and party, 1840-2004
      • Voter turnout and margins of victory
      • There are maps for individual elections and cinematic maps that run through time, including events in history as well as election results
      • Interactive maps take longer to load

National Conventions

    • National Party Convention Proceedings at the University of Michigan Library
      • List of Democratic and Republican convention proceedings since 1832
      • Refers to paper and microfilm call numbers and URLs as available
      • Also includes notes for inter-library loan or the Vanderbilt Television Archive

    • National Party Conventions
      • Provides ballots for Presidential candidates and major rules, 1835-2004
      • Doc Cen: JK 2255 .N3751

Presidential Primary Elections and Caucuses

    • America Votes (Richard Scammon)
      • Presidential primary results for all states holding primaries appear at the front of the volume
        • Presidential Elections Since 1789 (Doc. Cen. JK 524 .C746) consolidates presidential primary results for states holding them, 1912-1988
      • Primary results for state offices are located on the last page of each state section
      • Voter registration for presidential primaries begins in 1996 and appears at the front of each state
      • Reference Room JK 1967 .A1 A68
      • Two-year time lag between the general elections and publication date
      • Related publication: America at the Polls, 1920-56 (Ref. JK 524 .G72 v.1) has county-level Presidential election results within each state section and Presidential preference primary results at the back of the book
      • Presidential preference primary results by state for 1912 and 1916 appear in the front of the book

    • CQ Voting and Elections Collection (UMich Only)
      • To find Presidential preference primary results since 1912, browse under Presidential Elections and choose Presidential Primaries and Caucuses by State or Presidential Primaries and Caucuses by Year
        • There is no caucus information and not all states hold presidential preference primaries
        • The data can be copied and pasted into a spreadsheet but not downloaded using the feature on the side

    • Election Day Exit Polls (Roper Center - UMich Only)
      • Numerous exit polls from presidential primaries
      • May indicate which parties independent voters voted for
      • Exit Polls (MSNBC) [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21660890/] updates the data for 2008

    • STATE CAUCUS results for 2000, 2004, and 2008 are available via the The Green Papers

    • United States Presidential Primary Elections, 2000-2004
      • Provides both primary and caucus results by county in 2000 and 2004
      • Documents Center (JK 522 .C662 2007)


ACADEMIC RESEARCH

MIRLYN

    • Connect via MIRLYN-WebLists books, journals, and electronic titles within the University of Michigan Library system.
    • Searchable by author, title, subject, keyword

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SUBJECT HEADINGS

  • Controlled vocabulary
  • Used for
    • Foreign material
    • When too many common keywords
  • Find through
    • LC Subject List (Library)
    • Record retrieved through keyword searching

    • Library of Congress Subject Headings: By Subject
      • Campaign funds--United States
      • Democratic Party (U.S.)
      • Electioneering--United States
      • Lobbying--United States
      • Political action committees--United States
      • Political participation--United States
      • Presidents--United States--Election--1972
      • Pressure groups--United States
      • Republican Party (U.S. : 1854-)
      • United States--Elections
      • Voting--United States
      • In MIRLYN Web Advanced Searching, you don't need to know exact order (e.g. voting and united states or united states and voting)

Boolean Logic

    • Keyword Searching

IllustrationMIRLYNProquestPAISAcademic UniverseIPSAWNCGoogle
PHRASE "campaign finance" "campaign finance" campaign finance" campaign finance campaign finance campaign()finance "campaign finance"
AND "campaign finance" and reform "campaign finance" and reform "campaign finance" and reform campaign finance and reform campaign finance and reform campaign()finance and reform "campaign finance" reform
OR elections or voting elections or voting elections or voting elections or voting elections or voting elections or voting elections or voting
NOT voting not elections voting and not elections voting not elections voting and not elections voting not elections voting not elections voting -elections
COMPLEX SEARCHING "campaign finance" and (PAC or "political action") "campaign finance" and (PAC or "political action") "campaign finance" and (PAC or "political action") campaign finance and (PAC or political action) campaign finance and (PAC or political action) campaign()finance and (pac or political()action) "campaign finance" (pac or "political action")
TRUNCATION election? or election* election? election* election! election* election? NA

Boolean Protocols of Political Science Data Bases


Periodicals [Web]

Use MGetIt button to link to the online journal text OR
University of Michigan catalog for the paper copy call number OR
Inter-Library Loan

Comprehensive Sources

    • Columbia International Affairs Online (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only) [http://www.ciaonet.org/]
      • Search engine indexes current world politics journals, books, conference proceedings, and think tank working papers
      • Excellent for current international topics
      • Sample search: iran and revolutionary guard

    • International Political Science Abstracts, 1989+ (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only)[http://web5.silverplatter.com/webspirs/start.ws?customer=c135082&databases=IPSA]
      • Index to scholarly political science journal articles in Western European languages
      • Choose IPSA from the menu first; go to the next screen before searching
      • Sample search: Iran near economic sanctions
      • Searches may be recombined
      • Data includes author, title, journal, and abstract in English if the article is in English
      • If the article is in another language, the title is translated into English but the abstract is in French

    • JSTOR (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only) [http://www.jstor.org/jstor/]
      • Full text of major 20th Century historical and economic periodicals as well as the American Political Science Review, Journal of Conflict Resolution, and World Politics
      • Most periodicals available from 1900-2002
      • Index approaches by keyword, author, title, periodical
      • Easiest to download an article in pdf before viewing it

    • Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only) [http://www.csa.com/htbin/dbrng.cgi?username=umich&access=umich093&db=pais-set-c]
      • Subject index to books, articles, and government documents on politics and economics since 1915 in Western European languages
      • Government documents include United States, United Nations, League of Nations, and State Governments
      • Sample Keyword Search: iran and nuclear weapon*
      • There are also paper versions (English, 1915+, Z 7163 .P98 and foreign, 1968+, Z 7164 .E2 P96)

    • ProQuest (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only) [http://www.umi.com/pqdauto?COPT=REJTPUcxQw@@]
      • Research Library indexes some 2300 journals in all fields since the 1980s and provides the full text of many since the 1990s (marked by a full-page symbol)
      • Includes popular and scholarly titles, such as the American Political Science Review and American Politics Quarterly
      • Journals indexed by author, title, keyword, periodical, and date
      • Sample searches
          "campaign finance reform"
          campaign finance and reform
          campaign finance and (reform or bills or legislation)
          campaign finance and (reform or bill? Or legislation)
      • Articles may be marked for downloading

    • Social Sciences Citation Index 1956- (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only) [http://www.webofscience.com]
      • Indexes current periodical articles by author, title/keyword, journal, and author's affiliation
      • Indexes cited authors by name, abbreviated title of book/journal and year
      • Results provide cross references between the cited author, the citating author, and related items
      • Use GET THIS link to determine if library has the article online, in paper, or can borrow on Inter-Library Loan

    • Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only) [http://www.csa.com/htbin/dbrng.cgi?username=umich&access=umich093&cat=polisci]
      • Citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature since 1975
      • Political science and complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration/policy
      • Indexes foreign language journals and translates the title into English

Individual Titles

    • Ballot Access News
      • Non-partisan newsletter on voting issues within the states
      • Archived since 1994

    • Campaigns and Elections (Congressional Quarterly)
      • Election news, political odds on the candidates
      • Especially good for political news within the states
      • Political services and buyer's guide
      • Some sections require password
      • Full text of periodical available to University of Michigan affiliates through Proquest

    • Congressional Quarterly (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only) [http://library.cqpress.com/cqweekly/]
      • Weekly publication with non-partisan political analysis of Congress
      • Identifies major legislation, the issues, and players
      • Political party and election analysis; party platforms
      • Web coverage begins in 1983 and is searchable
      • Separate index for roll call votes beginning 1995
      • Its annual compilation is available on the web, 1945-2006: Congressional Quarterly Almanac, (UMich Only) and Doc.Cen. JK 1 .C756--Ref.)

    • CQ Politics
      • Section on House, Senate and Gubernatorial races to watch in 2008
      • Describes the political situation in each of the covered districts

    • National Journal Campaigns (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only)
      • National Journal focuses on the politics of the Executive Branch with some reference to current legislation
      • Its campaigns segment includes public opinion polls, political ads, and projected balance of power changes

    • Presidential Studies Quarterly (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only)
      • Full text available since 1999 from Blackwell and since 1994 from Proquest


Newspapers [Web]

    • Academic Universe/Lexis (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only)
      • For state news, go to the NEWS tab; use the default search but make sure you choose your time period; sort the results by GEOGRAPHY to choose newspapers from a particular state
      • Full text of newspapers for the United States and its major cities
      • Time coverage varies but may extend to 20 years

    • Blue Eagle Columnists
      • Links to commentaries from 325 political columnists and political cartoons

    • Drudge Report
      • Links to current articles of political columnists

    • New York Times
      • Full text of today's New York Times and a searchable archive
      • Initial registration required
      • Registration currently free in the U.S. but organization reserves the right to charge
      • Serials/Microforms has microfilm edition, 1851+ (FILM X979)
      • Paper index in Reference Room, 1943+ as AI 21 .N53 with 1851-1942 in Graduate Library stacks
      • Lexis Academic (UMich Only) indexes the Times, 1969-79; full text begins in 1980
      • Full Text, 1851-1999 (UMich Only) also available

    • Newslink
      • Lists online newspapers by state and foreign country
      • Includes foreign language papers

    • Opinion Pages
      • Full text of opinion and news commentary from around the world
      • Separate sections for politics, business, technology, sports, health, and arts
      • Searchable by keyword or browsable by geography

    • Roll Call

    • USA Today
      • Daily articles on news, sports, weather and finances
      • Archival file of the top news stories
      • Includes section on 2008 elections

    • Washington Post
      • Full text of current issue and searchable archive
      • International section has news and web links to individual countries
      • National section has new and web links to individual states
      • Searchable index creates maps for individual U.S. business establishments
      • Articles since 1977 also available through Newsbank

    • World News Connection (UMich and Subscribing Libraries Only) [http://wnc.dialog.com/]
      • Full text of foreign news broadcasts and press releases translated into English beginning November 1994
      • Use for foreign opinions of presidential race
      • Searchable by keyword, region and subject, or Boolean logic and modified by date
      • Regions are:
          Central Eurasia
          China
          East Asia
          East Europe
          West Europe
          Latin America
          Near East and South Asia
          Sub-Saharan Africa



Grace York, Political Science Librarian
Kent Randell, Documents Center Intern
Ray C. Walling, Documents Center Intern
Alex P. Watson, Documents Center Intern
University of Michigan Library
Graphics by Ray C. Walling
Send comments and suggestions to Ask Us

http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/elec2008.html

2007 by The Regents of the University of Michigan. All Rights Reserved

Since February 5, 2007 this page has been accessed


Documents Center
University Library
University of Michigan