Voting and Elections

For reliable information on voting and the U.S. election process, see the sample listing of sources below. If you’re browsing the shelves inside a branch, look in the 324 range of the non-fiction section for books and audiovisual materials on the political process. Feel free to ask staff for further assistance.

Databases

• CQ Congress Collection

  Includes vital biographical and voting data for past and current members of Congress.

• CQ Researcher

  Offers in-depth, unbiased coverage of issues in the news, plus pro-and-con sections that illustrate both sides of controversial topics.

• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center

  Provides information on social issues from all points of view.  Includes topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, images, podcasts, and links to websites.

Catalog Links

• Choosing the President 2008
  

  The accessible, nonpartisan guide to the 2008 Presidential candidates, explaining the primaries, conventions and caucuses, fund-raising and campaigning, as well as the political parties, public policy organizations, the role of media, popularity polls, and individual voting rights. The League of Women Voters, founded in 1920 to help women achieve the right to vote, is a neutral consumer's advoc read more ...
  
  

  The accessible, nonpartisan guide to the 2008 Presidential candidates, explaining the primaries, conventions and caucuses, fund-raising and campaigning, as well as the political parties, public policy organizations, the role of media, popularity polls, and individual voting rights. The League of Women Voters, founded in 1920 to help women achieve the right to vote, is a neutral consumer's advocate group whose mission is to educate voters. Today, its membership includes thousands of men, but it remains nonpartisan and the most respected arbiter of election policy. Every four years, the League of Women Voters publishes this guide in their national effort to get every eligible voter to the polls in November.

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• How Do We Elect Our Leaders?
  

  Almost any adult American citizen can run for public office and be chosen as a government leader. In this volume, students explore how we elect our government leaders, from the president of the United States and members of Congress to state governors and local mayors. Readers get a close-up look at the presidential race to the White House that takes place every four years and the role that prim read more ...
  
  

  Almost any adult American citizen can run for public office and be chosen as a government leader. In this volume, students explore how we elect our government leaders, from the president of the United States and members of Congress to state governors and local mayors. Readers get a close-up look at the presidential race to the White House that takes place every four years and the role that primaries, nominating conventions, debates, and the Electoral College play in the election process.

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• How do We Elect Our Leaders? [Spanish version] ¿Cómo elegimos a nuestro líderes?
  

  Cómo se elige al presidente -- Elección de los miembros del Congreso -- Elección de funcionarios estatales -- La importancia de votar.

  
  
  
• National Elections and the Political Process
  

  Presents an exciting look inside the workings of the United States election system. The book explores topics such as the struggles of minorities and women to gain the right to vote, the origins of the electoral college, and the process of electing national, state, and local leaders in government.

  
  
  
• The World Almanac of Presidential Campaigns
  

  Note: This is a Reference book, which is available for reading inside the library only. Click on the book title to see branch locations. Did you know that: George Washington and James Monroe were the only two presidential candidates ever to run unopposed? Harper's Weekly cartoonist Thomas Nast first used the elephant to represent the Republicans during the campaign of 1876? The 1948 Re read more ...
  
  

  Note: This is a Reference book, which is available for reading inside the library only. Click on the book title to see branch locations. Did you know that: George Washington and James Monroe were the only two presidential candidates ever to run unopposed? Harper's Weekly cartoonist Thomas Nast first used the elephant to represent the Republicans during the campaign of 1876? The 1948 Republican convention was the first to be televised?  This book tells you all this and much more you never knew (or would have guessed possible) about the quadrennial race for the White House.

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Web Links

• Absentee Voter Guide

  The Harvard University Institute of Politics provides information on absentee voting for all fifty states.

• CQPolitics.com

  Nonpartisan site for breaking political news and links to stories of interest in major newspapers and newsmagazines.

• DeKalb County Voter Registration & Elections

  Go to this site if you need a printable application to register to vote or a printable absentee ballot application.  You can also view sample ballots leading up to elections, and find your polling place.

• FactCheck.org

  Nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" site for voters. Examines the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.

• Georgia Poll Locator

  Not sure if you’re registered to vote?  Know you’re registered, but can’t remember where your poll location is? Check this site and find out!

• Georgia Secretary of State-GA Election Results

  Current plus archive or previous election results in Georgia.

• MyDebates.com

  The official online companion to the 2008 presidential debates.

• OpenSecrets.org [Center for Responsive Politics]

  Nonpartisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy.

• Project Vote Smart

  Tracks performance of political leaders at the federal and state levels, including issue positions, voting records, campaign finances, and evaluations by special interest groups.

• U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates

  Includes official transcripts of past debates and information on how candidates are selected for inclusion in these debates.

• U.S. Electoral College

  Information about the Electoral College, straight from the federal government.

• U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC)

  Read up on the laws governing campaign finance. Allows you to search the FEC campaign contribution disclosure database by candidate or by individual donor.

• Vote411 [League of Women Voters' Education Fund]

  Provides general and state-specific nonpartisan information on early voting options, ID requirements, polling place locations, voting machines in use, etc. Includes links to the Georgia League and other local League of Women Voters sites.