Election 2012
Election Results
Image: Creative Commons Statista
Stats from Wolfram Alpha Wolfram Alpha is a great search engine that focuses on stats and facts. It lets you combine them in interesting ways. This blog post from them focuses on election night.
Election Night Instagram provides some interesting stats from election night.
Polls
- 2012 Election Poll Tracker
From the Wall Street Journal, track current poll results.
- SurveyUSA - Election Polls
Provides state by state political polling results.
- Gallup.com
Review the latest political polls from America’s favorite political opinion gatherers.
Get the Facts
Super PAC Use your iPhone or iPad to find out who is sponsoring what political add. Open the app, let it hear the add, and you’ll find out who’s behind that add.
- FactCheckEd.Org From the Annenberg Public Policy Center, FactCheckEd provides quick links to over 90 “assessments of the accuracy of statements made by and about the presidential candidates.” Go to their original site for further information on other candidates for office.
- 2012 Presidential Election This site is part of ProCon.org a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources that promote critical thinking. This section of the site focuses on the current election and lets you see what each candidate has to say about controversial topics. A great feature of the site is that it provides information on all presidential candidates, not just Obama and Romney.
Debates: Videos and Transcripts
| First presidential debate held on October 3, 2012 | NY Times First Presidential Debate Coverage This article from the NYTimes gives side-by-side coverage of the transcript of the debate with sources that provide fact checking. |
| Second presidential debate held on October 16, 2012 | NY Times Second Presidential Debate Coverage Another side-by-side comparison of facts with a transcript of the debate. |
| Last presidential debate held on October 22, 2012 | NY Times Final Presidential Debate Coverage Another side-by-side comparison of facts with a transcript of the debate. |
Vice-presidential debate held on October 11, 2012
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Who Will You Pick
Participate in a quick poll to let us know who you’ll be voting for in the upcoming election. If you don’t see the form, go here to cast your pre-vote vote.
History of Elections
These books will fill you in on the electoral process and previous candidates.
 | Shade, W. G., Campbell, B. C., & Coenen, C. R. (2003). American presidential campaigns and elections. Armonk, NY: Sharpe Reference “This outstanding set makes a substantial contribution to describing and documenting presidential election campaigns in the US. It begins with eight essays examining specific historical themes and issues that characterize the American electoral landscape; one essay, for example, traces the development of nominating conventions and primary elections.” Choice Review Reference JK1965 .A57 2002 |
 | Warren, K. F. (2008). Encyclopedia of U.S. campaigns, elections, and electoral behavior. Los Angeles: Sage. “Well-known pollster, political analyst, and scholar Warren has assembled a comprehensive, jargon-free encyclopedia on how campaigns, elections, and voters shape and are shaped by the American political process. “ Choice Review Reference JK2281 .E53 2008 |
 | Mieczkowski, Y., & Carnes, M. C. (2001). The Routledge historical atlas of presidential elections. New York: Routledge. “From the ratification of the Constitution in 1788 through the election of 2000,The Routledge Historical Atlas of Presidential Electionstraces every presidential race in U.S. history.” Syndetics Reference JK524 .M53 2001 |
Reuters: 2012 Election News
- White House lists two dozen leaders to meet with Obama on deficit
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two dozen business, labor and civic leaders, including the chief executives of major U.S. corporations such as Ford, IBM and Wal-Mart, will meet President Barack Obama to discuss how to control the federal deficit, said the White House on Monday.
- Senate leader McConnell a big loser on Election Day
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell set two top goals for the 2012 election: a Republican takeover of the Senate and the defeat of President Barack Obama.
- Florida governor orders review of election laws after voting snafus
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - Florida Governor Rick Scott ordered his top elections official on Wednesday to figure out what caused long lines at polling stations and delays in ballot counting in the battleground state on Election Day.
- Boehner: “Obamacare is law of the land”
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top Republican lawmaker John Boehner said on Thursday he would not make it his mission to repeal the Obama administration’s healthcare reform law following the re-election of President Barack Obama.
- Obama, buoyed by election win, faces new battles
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama had little time to savor victory on Wednesday after voters gave him a second term in the White House where he faces urgent economic challenges, a looming fiscal showdown and a still-divided Congress able to block his every move.
- Hit political blogger Nate Silver on future of predictive modeling
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nate Silver is an oxymoron come to life: the famous statistician.
- Bruised by Romney criticism, Bain Capital thanks investors
(Reuters) - Bain Capital LLC, the private equity firm co-founded by defeated presidential candidate Mitt Romney, thanked its investors on Thursday for their support and patience over the last year as it confronted “political hyperbole and distortion.”
- Election blurring of church, state separation draws complaints
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Political watchdog and secularist groups are asking the U.S. government to investigate whether Catholic bishops and a Christian evangelical group headed by preacher Billy Graham should lose tax breaks for telling followers how to vote in this year’s election.
- As tallying goes on, top Florida Democrat cheers Obama’s win
MIAMI (Reuters) - The chairman of Florida’s Democratic Party congratulated President Barack Obama on Thursday on winning the battleground state on Tuesday, while blasting the state’s Republican governor for his handling of the election.
- Election system needs an overhaul, but it’s not that easy
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Voters in Florida were still waiting to cast their ballots more than six hours after polls closed on Election Day, registered voters in Ohio were told they were not on voter rolls and new voter ID laws in Pennsylvania led to confusion at voting places.
Other Sources of News
Political Parties
- Republican • National • Committee
Official site of the Republican Party. Get the latest news and information from the GOP. Learn about Republican Candidates, connect with fellow Republicans, sign petitions and much much more.
- Libertarian Party | Smaller Government | Lower Taxes | More Freedom
The official website of the Libertarian National Commitee. Get the latest candidates, news and information pertinent to the Libertarian Party.
- The Independence Party of New York
Get the latest news and information from New Yorks 3rd largest political party.
- Green Party of the United States | Homepage
Official site of the Green Party of the United States. Review the Green Party’s platform and candidates and get the latest news pertinent to this party.
- Democratic Party
This is the home page of the Democratic Party. It features links to various party officials, elected representatives, and state and regional Party web sites.
Voting
- United States Elections Project
Created by Dr. Michael Macdonald of George Mason University, this site tracks early voting results. According to Dr. Macdonald:”Election officials may not report early voting statistics. I attempt to collect as much of the information about these ballots as possible. However, I do not hound election officials for these statistics because they are busy doing the important work of preparing for the upcoming election. Sometimes data will be available only at the local level. I cannot continuously scan for local data, so I appreciate tips on where to find data.Breakdowns of early voters by party registration, where available, are not votes for president.”
- Rock the Vote - Home
Political power for young people.
- Project Vote Smart - American Government, Elections, Candidates and Voting
Access a complete list of presidential candidates, register to vote, review issue positions, get campaign finance reports and much more.
Classroom Involvement
- Weekly Reader Election Issue
Links to the Weekly Reader election issue newsletter.
- Scholastic News Online: Election 2008 | Scholastic.com
Access election games, learn how the president is elected, and get the latest news from the scholastic kid reporter. Provides lesson plans and “printables” for educators.
- PBS - Vote 2012
Provides the latest news and lesson plans for election 2012.
- About Government
Site was developed by the Dirksen Congressional Center, a non-partisan group whose purpose is to promote a better understanding of Congress. Site provides government branch information, including a congressional tour for children and congress in the classroom. Includes election and voting information.
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