U.S. Elections: Elections Research Basics
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The following are core resources for US elections research, and will also be useful for researching any of the topics covered in this guide. Some include reference works, others contain scholarly articles, grey literature, and more. These resources will also be of value when researching other topics covered in this guides.
- CQ Press Political Reference SuiteContains full text encyclopedias, directories, handbooks, and guides in political science.
- CQ LibraryContains full text of CQ Researcher reports, CQ Magazine (formerly CQ Weekly, featuring bills and legislative actions) as well as reference works on politics, commerce, and the U.S. Congress.
- Worldwide Political Science AbstractsIndexes articles related to political institutions, international law and politics, public policy, public administration, political theory, and political economics. Indexes sources from 1975 to the present.
- PAIS Index (Public Affairs Information Service)Covers public affairs, public and social policy, and international relations. Includes national and international journal articles, books, government documents, statistics, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, microfiche, and pertinent web sites.
- Nexis Uni
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Includes full text sources for regional, national, and international newspapers as well as business, legal, and medical publications, and also, government documents.
Legal and Legislative Resources
- ProQuest CongressionalContains citations and full text to U.S. legislative information from 1970 to the present, with additional coverage of Congressional hearings from 1824 to 1979.
- Congressional Hearings Digital CollectionCollects full text, abstracts, and citations for U.S. legislative information, regulations, and news with augmented full text coverage of Congressional hearings for 1824-1979. Updated daily when Congress is in session.
- Congressional Serial SetArchives reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from 1817-1994.
- Congress.GovContains bills, resolutions, votes, Congressional Record, appropriations, and other Congress materials.
- GovInfoContains: Code of Federal Regulations; Congressional Bills; Congressional Committee Prints; Congressional Directory; Congressional Documents; Congressional Hearings; Congressional Record; Congressional Reports; Constitution Annotated; Economic Indicators; Federal Register; Public and Private Laws; United States Code; United States Courts Opinions;
Electoral College
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)U.S.Electoral College. NARA provides box scores for electoral college vote starting from 1789. List of states and numbers of votes assigned in electoral college, votes for electoral college in the past two elections and US Constitution and US code relating to presidential election.
- How the Electoral College WorksFrom How Stuff Works. Provides an introduction to the electoral college including the present view on the system and links to other web resources.
- Presidential Elections and the Electoral College (The Proceedings of the Electoral Commission of 1877)This Library of Congress project presents the pages from records of Congressional debates on presidential elections, contested presidential elections, electoral colleges from 1789 to 1877.
- The Unofficial Homepage of the Electoral CollegeCovers presidential election results from 1789 to present, election laws, polls, electoral college debates, analysis and much more.
- Ted-Ed: Lessons Worth SharingThis Ted-Ed video quickly explains the concept of the Electoral College in under 5.5 minutes. Learn the difference between the popular vote and electoral vote and how each state carries a different level of importance.
Core Reference Sources
America Votes: Election Returns by State - A SeriesCall Number: print and onlineISBN: 97816042666411953-2004 in print; 2005-onward ebook
Elections A to Z (ebook) by Publication Date: 2012-07-03
Voters' Guides
- Voters' Guides - League of Women VotersOregon's League of Women Voters publishes non-partisan voters' guides.
- Voter ID: State Requirements MapVoter ID has been a hot topic in state legislatures over the past decade. Since 2001, nearly 1,000 bills have been introduced in a total of 46 states. This site summarizes the state activity in this area.
The Election Process - PBS LearningMedia videos
Interested in learning more about the national election process in the United States? PBS LearningMedia highlights the Election Process in a series of short and entertaining videos:
- Presidential Power
- Election Basics
- Political Campaigns
- Political Parties
- Election Foundations - available in English, Spanish, and with closed captions
- The General Election - available in English, Spanish, and with closed captions