Election Resource Guide
Librarian
Name: Mary Ellen Spencer
Phone: (804) 828-1101
Email: mespencer@vcu.edu
Note: For up-to-date voter information, please visit the Virginia State Board of Elections Web site.
This guide provides useful information relating to the 2008 Presidential Election and Virginia's local elections, and includes details about candidates, platforms, issues, and media coverage. Additionally, background information on the election process, Electoral College, and previous elections can help put this year's events into a wider context. Tips on finding articles and books at VCU Libraries are also included.
News Media Election Sites
CNN Election Center 2008
C-SPAN Politics Campaign 2008
New York Times Election Guide
NPR Election 2008
Media Watchdogs
A directory of media watchdog groups from Media Nation, a patrnership between Harvard's Neiman Foundation and The University of Massachusetts-Boston's Center on Media and Society.
American Press Institute Election 2008 Journalist's Toolbox
Campaign coverage resources for journalists.
Schedules
Elections 101: Path to the Presidency
Lists dates of primaries,
national conventions, and elections.
Commission on Presidential Debates
Presidential debate schedules, when available
Issues and Platforms
Project Vote Smart
A resource for candidates' biographical information, voting records, issue positions, interest group ratings, public statements, and campaign finances.
On the Issues: Every Political Leader on Every Issue
Information is accessible by issue, candidate, or topics in the news.
Gallup Organization
Public opinion polls on politics and elections, business and the economy, social issues and policy, managing and lifestyle. Some links on the site may require registration.
Washington Post Issue Coverage Tracker
Interactive site includes press coverage and opinion writing from
news organizations, political parties, interest groups, bloggers, unions, trade organizations, candidates, activists, and more.
FactCheck.org
A nonpartisan, nonprofit site from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center. FactCheck.org monitors the accuracy of candidates' speeches, debates, TV ads, and other communication to the public.
Elections 2008 from The University of Michigan Documents Center
Comprehensive subject guide providing links related to U.S. Elections.
United States Election Process
U.S. Department of State resource contains information on campaign finance, caucuses and primaries, conventions, debates, voting, and the Electoral College. Also contains court decisions and Congressional Research Service reports.
Historic Election Statistics
Contains year-by-year vote counts for federal elections dating to 1920, collected by the Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
Voting America United States Politics, 1840-2004
This resource from
the Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond
provides cinematic & interactive maps, and analysis, of the Presidential elections in the US from 1840-2004. Data is available at the county level and allows for users to compare elections.
Federal Election Commission
The FEC regulates election campaign financing and its Web site provides a detailed news section and helpful campaign and election links for citizens. Also contains a history of The Electoral College, written by William C. Kimberling, Deputy Director, FEC Office of Election Administration. (PDF)
Frequently Asked Questions About the Electoral College
From the United States National Archives and Records Administration.
Electionline.org
Nonpartisan information on election reform from the Pew Center on the States.
The Living Room Candidate
Archive of presidential campaign commercials from 1952-2004 from the Museum of the Moving Image.
Voting
Virginia State Board of Elections
Information about voting registration, sites, laws, and results, and other items of interest for Virginia voters.
Election Results and Voter Turnout
Reports by locality or district for 1995-2005.
Where do I Vote?
Find your polling place by locality and address.
Virginia Daily Newspapers
Some also available in LexisNexis Academic VCU
The Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk)
The Daily Press (Newport News)
The Daily Progress (Charlottesville)
The Roanoke Times
Other Virginia
newspapers
You can search the following selected databases for articles relevant to politics and elections. Many of the databases listed below include at least some full text articles, but very few databases are 100% full text. Look for the 
button or try the Journal Finder.
CQ Library VCU
Background, chronology and outlook on contemporary topics, includes archives of earlier issues. Full-text articles from the CQ Weekly Report (1983-present) and the CQ Researcher (1991-present). For topics related to the current election year, click "Browse by Date" or do a quick search for "election."
LexisNexis Academic VCU
Full-text legal, business and news information from local, national, and international sources.
LexisNexis Government Periodicals Index VCU
Citations for articles on a variety of topics published in US Government magazines/newsletters. Some of these are available online through the Government Periodicals on the Web link.
PAIS: Public Affairs Information Service VCU
International literature
on public affairs, public and social policies, and international relations.
For an overview of elections history and statistics, you can consult the following reference books:
Encyclopedia of American Political Parties and Elections
Cabell Library Reference JK2261 .S218 2006
Historical Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections 1788-2004
Cabell Library Reference - Atlases G1201.F9 H5 2006
America at the Polls: A Handbook of American Presidential Election Statistics
Cabell Library Reference JK524 .A7
Guide to U.S. Elections
Cabell Library Reference JK1967 .C662 2005
You can search the library catalog for additional books from the main VCU Libraries Web page at http://www.library.vcu.edu by using the yellow search box or the Catalog link.
To search for materials from other libraries, use Worldcat 
or check the catalogs of other Virginia libraries. You can try ILLiad to obtain materials that VCU Libraries does not own.
If you need help developing a search strategy, Ask a Librarian.
This guide to Election Resources
is not comprehensive nor does inclusion imply endorsement.