Political Science and Elections

 

Current Events  

    CNN.com
        Type term in search box.
        (http://www.cnn.com)
   
The Hill  
        Is a weekly non-partisan newspaper covering people and politics of the U.S. Congress
        (http://www.hillnews.com)
    LexisNexis News  
        World news from LexisNexis
        (http://www.lexisnexis.com/news/)
    MSNBC  
        Has links to Newsweek magazine and NBC news programs and is a good place for ideas

        (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/)    
    Issues & Research
       
From the National Conference of State Legislatures
        (http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/tabid/756/Default.aspx)

Databases - Off-campus access needs User Name & Password

    Opposing Viewpoints

    LexisNexis Academic - newspaper articles, TV & radio transcripts, Congressional hearings
    MasterFILE Premier

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Dictionary & Glossary of Political Terms

    United States Political Glossary
        "Conservative," "liberal," and other political terms are defined from Department of Translation Studies,
        University of Tampere, Finland.

        (http://www.uta.fi/FAST/GC/poliglos.html)
    Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Online Thesaurus
        An excellent site for both dictionary and thesaurus.  This is an excellent source to hear
        pronunciations
        (http://www.m-w.com/)

Elections, Political Parties, and Electoral College (Federal, State, and Local)
       Includes sites from Beth Jane Toren, "The Electoral College, Political Parties, and Elections,"
       College & Research Libraries News
, July/August 2004, pp. 366-69.

   ELECTION RESULTS (http://state.tn.us/sos/election/results.htm)

    Elections: Federal

    Federal Election Commission 
        Has campaign finance information (who has contributed money to candidates), explanation
        of electoral college, and online voter registration forms
        (http://www.fec.gov)
   
Electoral College at National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)  
        Has helpful information
        (http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html)
    U.S. Electoral College Calulator 
        Covers elections from 1789 to date
        (http://grayraven.com/ec/)
    Presidential Succession Chronology 
        Lists the changes in presidential succession laws and links to a proposed change in succession
        (http://www.doctorzebra.com/prez/a_succession.htm)
    On the Issues Every Political Leader on Every Issue
        This site describes itself as non-partisan.  There is advertising on the site.
        (http://www.issues2000.org/default.htm)
    Democratic Party
        (http://www.democrats.org/index.html)
    Republican National Committee 
        Is for the Republican Party
        (http://www.gop.com)
    Other parties include Constitution Party, Greens, and Libertarian Party.
    Political Resources on the Net 
        Lists resources by country
        (http://www.politicalresources.net)
    FactCheck.org: Annenberg Political Fact Check 
        Allows users to check facts they may have heard during a political speech
        (http://www.factcheck.org)
    Project Vote Smart  
        Provides information on candidates and positions
        (http://www.vote-smart.org)
    OMB Watch 
        Its purpose to keep government accountable.
        (http://www.ombwatch.org/)

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Elections: Tennessee and States

    Tennessee Secretary of State - Division of Elections 
        Has information on election topics such as absentee voting, finding elected officials,
        and statistics
        (http://www.state.tn.us/sos/election/index.htm)
    Stateline.org

        Policy and information on state issues.
        (http://www.stateline.org/live/)
  
    Elections: Hamilton County Voting Precinct Information

    Hamilton County, TN, Election Commission
        Gives results for current elections
        (http://elect.hamiltontn.gov/)

    Hamilton County Commission 
        This is the "legislative and policy-making body of the county" located at 514 East 4th Street,
        Chattanooga, TN 37403
        (Telephone: 423.209.7720)
.
        (
http://www.hamiltontn.gov/commission/Default.aspx)
    Hamilton County Precinct Maps and Statistics
        Various links are from the Office of Local Government, Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury
        (http://www.comptroller.state.tn.us/lg/map/lghami.htm)

MLA/APA Citation Format

    MLA Style
        Databases
        Web Sites
    APA Style
       Databases
       Web Sites 

Political Advocacy Groups and Lobbyists

    American League of Lobbyists
        Has a code of ethics, reform activities, and lobby law updates among other links.
        (http://www.alldc.org/)
    Lobbying Disclosure at the U.S. House of Representatives
        Includes a link to the guide to the lobbying disclosure act.
        (http://lobbyingdisclosure.house.gov/)
    LobbyWatch
        Site from The Center for Public Integrity documents how private interests influence public policy.
        (http://www.publicintegrity.org/lobby/)  

    Query the Lobbying Disclosure Act Database
        From the U.S. Senate.  Public Disclosure is also link at the U.S. Senate.
       (hhttp://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=choosefields)

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Public Opinion

    Harris Poll
        (http://www.harrisinteractive.com)
    The Gallup Organization 
        Surveys public opinions
        (http://www.gallup.com/)
   
PollingReport.com - Public Opinion Online
        Provides independent, nonpartisan information on trends
        (http://pollingreport.com/)
   
Odum Institute Data Archive Services
        Has a Public Opinion Poll Database from the University of North Carolina
        (http://152.2.32.107/odum/jsp/content_node.jsp?nodeid=7)
    Roper Center for Public Opinion Research  
        A good source for studies
        (http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/)
    Roper Poll from the LexisNexis Academic database at the Library web page 
        Select "Reference" from the LexisNexis Academic menu.  Then "Polls & Surveys."
        (http://library.chattanoogastate.edu)


Public Policy

    Public Agenda 
        Overview of public policy issues and some information on public opinion about that issue.  Some
        links to headlines
        may not be available.
        (http://www.publicagenda.org)
   
Brookings Institution   
        Emphasizes economics, foreign and domestic policy
        (http://www.brook.edu/default.htm)
    Cato Institute 
        Focuses on limited government, free markets, and public involvement
        (http://www.cato.org)
    Center for Strategic & International Studies 
        Provides leaders with information on current and global issues
        (http://www.csis.org)
    Institute for Policy Studies 
        Promotes justice and human rights
        (http://www.ips-dc.org)
    Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life 
        Is a nonpartisan organization providing a forum to examine issues of religion and public affairs
        (http://www.pewforum.org)
    Where Do You Fit 
        Is a survey to determine types of politics
        (http://typology.people-press.org/typology/)
    Rand 

        Is a nonprofit research organization that analyzes policy issues.  Congressional Resources
        is of interest.
        (http://www.rand.org)

Statistics

    FedStats
        (
http://www.fedstats.gov/index.html)
    InfoPlease 
        An almanac of various facts
        (http://www.infoplease.com/)
    Statistical Resources on the Web  
        Is from the University of Michigan
        (http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html)
    U.S. Census Bureau
        (
http://www.census.gov/)
    World Factbook  
        Is from the CIA
        (https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
)

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Voting Records

    ACLU Congressional Scorecard 
        From the American Civil Liberties Union
        (http://action.aclu.org/site/VoteCenter?page=voteList)
    League of Conservation Voters 
        Scorecard of environmental voting by legislators.  Choose the state.
        (http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/)
    National Taxpayers Union Rates Congress  
        "On the Hill" has some interesting links; for example, the Vote Tally

        (http://www.ntu.org/main/components/ratescongress/)
    Project Vote Smart Voting Records 
        Has voting records for Tennessee, or select other states.
        (http://www.vote-smart.org/official_five_categories.php?dist=voting_category.php)
    Public Citizen Congress Watch 
        Has a link to key votes in Congress.  This site is from a National Non-Profit Public Interest
        Organization.
        (http://www.citizen.org/congress/)
    Roll Call Votes 
        Select desired legislation and find out who was there and how they voted in the U.S. Senate
        and House.  From the Library of Congress.
        (http://thomas.loc.gov/home/rollcallvotes.html)
    Tennessee Votes 
        Site can be searched for legislation or legislator and is from Tennessee Center for Policy Research
        (http://tennesseevotes.org/)
    U.S. Congress Votes Database 
        Roll-call votes provided by the Washington Post
        (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/)

Other Sources

    Google News
        (http://news.google.com)

    Government Resources on the Web
        From the University of Michigan.
        (http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/govweb.html)
    Internet Public Library

        (
http://www.ipl.org)
    Scripps Library and Multimedia Archive
        Research materials on the American presidency.  Includes mp3 files and secret White House recordings.
        (http://millercenter.org/scripps/)
    
USA.gov
        Presents categories and topics for easy access to federal and state government agencies
        (http://www.usa.gov/)
    U.S. Government Search from Google 
        Search by keyword or browse topics
        (http://www.google.com/ig/usgov)


See also
     
     Local Elected Officials
     Government Research Guide

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Last Updated September 14, 2009