Campaign Finance: OpenSecrets OpenSecrets.org is the nonpartisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy. From the Center for Responsive Politics, “a non-partisan, non-profit research group…that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy.” Information about the 2008 presidential election is found at http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/index.php?cycle+2008 .
CNN Election Center: Campaign Issues - From concerns about the economy and the war in Iraq to the perennial topics of Social Security and the health care system, this site includes the range of issues guiding the 2008 presidential race. Real Clear Politics -One of the best all-around election sites, you will find an extensive collection of resources (news, editorials, commentary, polling data, video and more) from a highly respected independent organization.
The Election Connection - From Oct. 23 to Oct. 28, K-12 students can vote in an online mock presidential election. Also includes an online activity, “Create a Candidate” that focuses on presidential qualifications, issues, political parties, and campaign strategies.
FactCheck - This project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. Many of the articles include audio and videocasts.
On the Issues - Click on a topic for background on that issue. Each page then links to political leaders’ views on that issue. Click on a topic for pages listing headlines for elected officials and popular candidates and opinion leaders. Each section has links for “full quotes” for each summary headline.
Polling Report: Election 2008 - If you have to choose one polling site for 2008, this is the one! The free web site includes current and historical polling results from all of the major polling organizations (Pew, Gallup, Reuters/Zogby, NPR), plus many more. In addition, you can find polling results from previous elections.
Pro/Con.org - The mission of Pro/Con is “Promoting education and informed citizenship by presenting controversial issues in a simple, nonpartisan primarily pro-con format.”
Telling America’s Story (U.S Dept. of State) - From the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs, here you can learn more about major candidates’ positions on key issues of interest to other nations.
Vote Smart - In addition to learning about how you can get people involved in the election process, you can also know your local and national candidates’ biographical information, voting records issue positions (Political Courage Test), interest group ratings, public statements and campaign finance records.
