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Election Information
- ANES: American National Election Studies
From Stanford University & the University of Michigan, with funding by the National Science Foundation. Statistical data since 1948. The core content consists of 65 data sets on pre- and post-election surveys of voter attitudes. Builds on the work of the Survey Research Center and the Center for Political Studies of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Data sets may be downloaded as ZIP files.
- Commission on Presidential Debates
Established in 1987 to sponsor & produce the debates in order to educate the public. Also, undertakes research about the presidential debates.
- Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
Election maps for all presidential elections from 1789 to the present.
- Election Resources on the Internet (WORLD)
Provides links to external Web sites containing publicly available election data and other electoral information from more than 120 countries. Frequently updated and considered one of the most current and comprehensive for this type of information.
- ElectionGuide.org (WORLD)
From the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strenthening (CEPPS). Can search by election type, country, and year.
- Election Web Archives (from Library of Congress)
Archives of election web resources kept for the U.S. national elections since 2000.
- FactCheck.org From the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, also referred to as the Annenberg Political FactCheck, monitors the factual accuracy of U.S. political players in the media. Browse by Date or Search by Keywords.
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- Great Debate & Beyond: The History of Televised Presidential Debates
Provides a documentary on the Great Debate, commentary, videos, photos, headlines, memos & spin.
- Green Papers
State by state coverage of elections.
- Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials
Presidential Campaign Commercials since 1952.
- OpenSecrets.org
Sponsored by the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan and non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. Tracks campaign reforms, campaign finance filings, politicians, elections, influence & lobbying, news & analysis.
- Project Vote Smart
Provides information about elected officials and candidates at the state and federal levels. Biographies, campaign finances, issues, performace evaluations, and voting records. Provides information about Congressional Committees. Tracks legislation in Congress.
- U.S. Electoral College
Current and historical information about the electoral college.
- U.S. Federal Election Commission
Established in 1975 to monitor election activity in the U.S. Discloses campaign finances, enforces election finance laws, and oversees public funding of federal elections. Includes National Voter Turnout in Federal Elections.
General Government Web Coverage (U.S.)
- GPO FDsys [Public Access]
Government Printing Office documents. Catalog of Government Publications, Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Full text of bills, hearings, and other Congressional documents, U.S. Code.
- GPO Metalib [Public Access]
MetaLib is a federated search engine that searches multiple U.S. Federal government databases, retrieving reports, articles, and citations while providing direct links to selected resources available online.
- FEDERALIST PAPERS
Series of articles or essays promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution.
- Thomas--LEGISLATIVE
Legislative information from the Library of Congress. ALSO deals with Treaties.
- USA.gov [Public Access]
Search centralized access to information from local, state, and U.S. Government Agency websites.
- U. S. Census Bureau
Click Data tab for access points such as Quick Facts (basic demographic information about people, business, and geography) or American FactFinder for more in-depth census information.
Judicial Branch
- American Law Sources On-line
Freely accessible on-line sources of law for the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Also, links to sources of commentary & practice aids (some free, some for a fee).
- FindLaw Constitutional Law Center
Historical documents, biographies of Supreme Court justices and Supreme Court decisions.
- Google Scholar
Select the "Legal documents" option and do a keyword search over all jurisdictions. Then, click the "Select courts" button in the left sidebar in the search results page.
- Guide to Law Online--not strictly the U.S. Judicial Branch (from the Library of Congress)
U.S. Federal, States, and Territories links, as well as links to other Nations and International Law. Include U.S. Code and Constitution.
- History of the Federal Judiciary
History of the federal courts and judges who have served since 1789.
- Judicial Branch: The Federal Court System and Decisions (from the Library of Congress)
Excellent basic information.
- Landmark Cases of the Supreme Court
From the Supreme Court Historical Society and Street Law.
- Supreme Court Historical Society
The Society, a private non-profit organization, is dedicated to the collection and preservation of the history of the Supreme Court of the United States. Provides historical and legal links.
- US Supreme Court Center
For cases.
- Web Guide to U.S. Supreme Court Research
Annotated links to web sites that provide predominantly free information.
Legislative Branch
- LEGISLATIVE BRANCH History Research--A Basic Guide
Laws that come through Congress (House & Senate)/the Legislature: Sources are identified for: Bills, Hearings, Reports (in Congressional Record), Public Laws (in Statutes at Large), the law (in U.S. Code)--Find through GPO FDsys, HeinOnline, & Thomas (below)
- GreenBook- U.S. House of Representatives
Extensive background information on the programs under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774-Present
Electronic Version of Biographical Information about Members of Congress
- Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation
U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873. Continental Congress, Constitutional Convention, 1st - 42nd Congresses.
- Congressional Branch & Resources (from the Library of Congress)
Excellent basics for Congressional Information.
- Congressional Budget Office
Founded in 1974 with the enactment of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act, CBO's mandate is to provide the Congress with objective, nonpartisan, and timely analyses to aid in economic and budgetary decisions on the wide array of programs covered by the federal budget and the information and estimates required for the Congressional budget process.
- CongressLInk: A Resource for Teachers
Provides excellent information about Congress, along with lessons plans and historical materials.
- Metavid
Supported by the University of California at Santa Cruz. Video footage by C-SPAN. An archived collection of the televised proceedings of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. Keyword searching.
- Congress.gov
Legislative information from the Library of Congress. ALSO deals with Treaties.
Country Information - General
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- Government Resources on the Web [WORLD]
Mega-site of World-Wide Countries' Government Documents on the Web. Site created by the University of Michigan.
- National Constitutions
From the Constitution Society. Alphabetical list of countries' constitutions.
The Constitute Project
Allows users to compare the wording and provisions of the constitutions of the world's countries (in force as of September 2013). Offers browsing by country and by over 300 broad topics to locate PDF and HTML versions of the most recent edition of a national constitution, and to filter results by documents issued in a particular year(s). Results are in English only.
- U.S. Department of State
Includes country political overviews and more. Click on "Countries," then the "A-Z List of Countries and Other Areas" and "Background Notes."
- World Bank e-Library
Some of the working papers are full text. Under the Useful Links tab, find World Development Indicators & more.
