Program Brief “UNDERSTANDING THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL

SELECTION PROCESS” A talk by Ronald J. HREBENAR Fulbright-University of Vienna Distinguished Chair in the Social Sciences and Humanities, a Professor and former Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Utah and former director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, University of Utah Amerika Haus Vienna, January 25, 2008

Background information provided by the

American Reference Center U.S. EMBASSY VIENNA Boltzmanngasse 16, 1090 Vienna Tel.: 405 30 33 Fax: 406 52 60 e-mail: arc@usembassy.athttp://www.usembassy.at

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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Dr. Ronald J. Hrebenar is the Fulbright-University of Vienna Distinguished Chair in the Social Sciences and Humanities, a Professor and former Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Utah and former director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, University of Utah. Dr. Hrebenar has been a faculty member at the University of Utah since l973. He is the author, editor or co-editor of a dozen books, over 30 articles and chapters on the topics of interest groups, lobbying, political parties and elections in the United States and

Japan. Dr. Hrebenar regularly teaches classes on political parties and elections, interest groups and lobbying, Japanese politics, and elections and Asian government and Politics (East Asia) in addition to the Introduction to American Politics course. University of Utah Political Science Department: http://www.poli-sci.utah.edu/Faculty/ Ron Hrebenar: http://www.poli-sci.utah.edu/hrebenar.htm

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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General Information 4 Washington File Items 8 Electoral College 14 Candidates 16 Election Calendars and Primary Schedules 16 Presidential Debates 17 Campaign Finance 17 Frequently Asked Questions 19 Trivia 20 Candidate Matching Sites 21 Media 21 Polling/ Public Opinion Sites 22 Webchats 23 Articles and Think Tank Items 24 Useful Links 31

…Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector. The electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted...

(Article II of the U.S. Constitution)

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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Elections 2008 U.S. Embassy Vienna, Austria http://www.usembassy.at/en/us/elections.htm

Webpage with links on topics listed below:

General Information Election Calendars and Primary Schedules Electoral College Candidates Debates CRS Reports for Congress Legislation

Campaign Finance Political Parties Washington File Items Webchats Foreign Press Center Briefings Media Sites Blogs

Frequently Asked Questions & Trivia Candidate Matching Sites Polling Sites Voter Turnout & Statistics Useful Links Think Tanks

U.S. Elections – Guide to the 2008 Elections http://uspolitics.america.gov/uspolitics/elections/index.htmlBureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State

Website including videos, podcasts, and information on the candidates, voting and the election process

The Long Campaign: U.S. Elections 2008 Published by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State, October 2007

This edition of eJournal USA presents an introduction to the upcoming 2008 U.S. elections. In these elections, U.S. voters will have the opportunity to vote for president and vice president, congressional representatives, state and local officials, and ballot initiatives. The journal describes aspects of this election which make it different from most recent elections and includes a pro-con debate of the Electoral College. FULL TEXT: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/1007/ijde/ijde1007.htm

• How the Internet Is Changing the Playing Field By Andy Carvin The 2008 U.S. general election will no doubt be a watershed year in American history but not necessarily because of any particular candidate or policy. As has been the case in recent election cycles, the Internet has become a potent political tool in terms of campaigning, fundraising, and civic engagement.... FULL TEXT: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/1007/ijde/carvin.htm • The Changing U.S. Voter By Daniel Gotoff As the 2008 election for president approaches, the U.S. electorate finds itself in a unique — and tumultuous — situation. Polls show that the country is engaged in a war that a majority of Americans now oppose. Nearly six years after September 11, 2001, fears of another terrorist attack still permeate the public consciousness. And voters' outlook on a panoply of domestic matters is colored with intensifying concern. … The shifting political tides over the past several years underscore the point that neither major party is able to boast a governing majority. ... FULL TEXT: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/1007/ijde/gotoff.htm

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• Covering the Presidential Campaign: The View from the Press Bus By Jim Dickenson A veteran political journalist shares the inside story of life on the road with a U.S. presidential candidate and discusses the reporter's role in conveying a candidate's message to the American people. … Jim Dickenson is a retired political reporter for the Washington Post. ... FULL TEXT: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/1007/ijde/dickenson.htm

Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues CRS Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service/Library of Congress, October 24, 2007

Every four years, the presidential nominating process generates complaints and proposed modifications, and the rapid pace of primaries and caucuses that characterized the 2000 and 2004 cycles will continue in 2008. Because many states scheduled early contests in the 2000 cycle, both parties subsequently created task forces on the process. For a time the parties pursued a cooperative effort to confront problems associated with front-loading for 2004. In the end, Democrats approved moving up state primary dates for 2004, but retained Iowa and New Hampshire’s early events; Republicans rejected a proposed reform plan. At the state level, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) supports a regional primary plan that would rotate regional dates every four years.... FULL TEXT: http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/94833.pdf (pdf)

Presidential Elections in the United States: A Primer CRS Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service/Library of Congress, April 17, 2000

Every four years, Americans elect a President and Vice President, thereby choosing both national leaders and a course of public policy. The system that governs the election of the President combines constitutional and statutory requirements, rules of the national and state political parties, political traditions, and contemporary developments and practices. As initially prescribed by the Constitution, the election of the President was left to electors chosen by the states. Final authority for selecting the President still rests with the electoral college, which comprises electors from each state equal in number to the state’s total representation in the House and Senate. All but two states award electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis to the candidate with a plurality of the state’s popular vote. The process of electing the President is essentially divided into four stages: (1) the prenomination phase, in which candidates compete in state primary elections and caucuses for delegates to the national party conventions; (2) the national conventions—held in the summer of the election year—in which the two major parties nominate candidates for President and Vice President and ratify a platform of the parties’ policy positions and goals; (3) the general election campaign, in which the major party nominees, as well as any minor party or independent contenders, compete for votes from the entire electorate, culminating in the popular vote on election day in November; and (4) the electoral college phase, in which the President and Vice President are officially elected.... FULL TEXT: http://www.usembassy.at/en/download/pdf/elections_primer.pdf (pdf)

United States Election Assistance Commission http://www.eac.gov/

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is an independent, bipartisan commission created by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. EAC is operating the federal government's first voting system certification program. It issues guidance about HAVA, adopts voluntary voting system guidelines, audits the use of HAVA funds, and provides best practices and resources to election officials throughout the nation. EAC also administers a national clearinghouse of information about election administration and maintains the national mail voter registration form.

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Federal Election Commission http://www.fec.gov/

In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) - the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. The duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections. The Commission is made up of six members, who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Each member serves a six-year term, and two seats are subject to appointment every two years. By law, no more than three Commissioners can be members of the same political party, and at least four votes are required for any official Commission action. This structure was created to encourage nonpartisan decisions. The Chairmanship of the Commission rotates among the members each year, with no member serving as Chairman more than once during his or her term.

Glossary Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State

... Blue state Blue state is a term used to refer to a U.S. state where the majority of voters usually support Democratic candidates. … Caucus A caucus is a meeting at the local level in which registered members of a political party in a city, town or county gather to express support for a candidate. For statewide or national offices, those recommendations are combined to determine the state party nominee. The term also is applied to a group of party members that meets to plan policy. Two well-known examples of such groups are the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, whose members discuss and advance the interests of their respective constituencies.... Hard money/Soft money Hard money and soft money are terms used to differentiate between campaign funding that is, and is not, regulated under federal campaign finance law. Hard money describes donations by individuals and groups made directly to political candidates running for federal office. Such contributions are restricted by law. Soft money refers to donations not regulated by law that can be spent only on civic activities such as voter-registration drives, party-building activities, administrative costs and in support of state and local candidates. “Soft money” contributions, by law, may not be used to support directly a candidate for federal office. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 upheld congressional restrictions passed in 2002 on soft money contributions.... Primary A state-level election in which voters choose a candidate affiliated with a political party to run against a candidate who is affiliated with another political party in a later, general election. A primary may be either "open" -- allowing any registered voter in a state to vote for a candidate to represent a political party, or "closed" -- allowing only registered voters who belong to a particular political party to vote for a candidate from that party. ... Red state Red state refers to a U.S. state where the majority of voters support Republican candidates.... Super-Duper Tuesday A phrased coined for the 2008 election, when many states, in an attempt to have more influence on the outcome of the race, have moved their primaries or caucuses to earlier in the year. This resulted in at least 20 states choosing to hold their primaries or caucuses on Tuesday, February 5, 2008, giving that day the name “Super-Duper Tuesday.”... FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/pubs-english/2007/October/20071009122700hmnietsua0.2381555.html

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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2008 Elections: Campaign 101 Foreign Press Center Briefing with Mike Allen, Chief Correspondent, Politico Washington, D.C., September 18, 2007

... MR. ALLEN: ... Senator Clinton is running on experience, pointing out to people the time that she spent in, literally, the Oval Office and in the West Wing when her husband was President. I think her experience there helps her a lot in polls because people remember the Clintons, and especially voters who don't pay a lot of attention to politics to day to day because they're working and raising families, they remember the Clintons. And so I think that that helps her polls a lot. Her drawback is the same thing -- that people are familiar with her. You hear a lot about how the polls show the country wants change. So can she be familiar and yet offer policies, programs, a personality that people would take as change. That's Senator Clinton's challenge. Some of you know Senator John Edwards, who was a senator from North Carolina, and now he's out of office. He's been pushing a message of -- what we call here, popularism. That is the economy for working people, a sort of blue collar approach, the people who work in maybe factory jobs or the people who work in some of the medium-income jobs in the country. He's been talking about that all the time since the last election when he was John Kerry's vice president. And that's a great message for him because that's turning out to be a big issue here because of what's coming up with mortgages. So John Edwards's message looks better all the time. The challenge for him is to connect with people. He's a very successful, and therefore very wealthy, lawyer. Can he put on the blue jeans that he wears and go out and makes this pitch in a convincing way? And finally, a lot of you know about Senator Obama, who draws amazing crowds. Even for an election that started early and that has (inaudible) like Senator Clinton, Senator Obama draws tens of thousands more people at events than you might think otherwise. But when you ask people about Senator Clinton -- oh, Senator Obama -- they say, is he ready? That's, of course, his challenge. And he has a good answer to that, which is that some of the people who were very, very ready, made decisions about the war that maybe in his view didn't bear out their experience. So he has an answer to it, but that's the challenge for him. On the Republican side, the -- that would be Rudy Giuliani. A lot of you know they call him America's mayor. Mayor Giuliani, who's always had a reputation for being tough even before 9/11, go back -- I urge you if your writing about the race -- go back in one of the archive facilities and look at how Mayor Giuliani was covered when he was cleaning up Times Square, which now is a safe place to visit. Central Park is now a place where you can take kids. That's something physical that he can point to that he accomplished. That's a big advantage in any kind of election, whether it's in your countries or here. The challenge for him -- some of his personal issues. Everybody knows that between him and his wife they have six marriages. There's been some stories about his kids supporting other candidates or not supporting him. That's tough because when Americans vote it's a very personal thing. We often say that Americans vote for the person that they'd want to have in their living room. We used to say we vote for the person we'd want to have a beer with. But now, with Mitt Romney, a Mormon, we can't say that. Maybe the person we'd want to have a lemonade with, right? And can he pass that test? Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, running an excellent physical campaign -- the Bush-Cheney political organization, a very powerful, successful organization at finding voters, turning them out, he's replicated their model most closely. And his -- part of getting elected is a job, putting together the mechanics of a campaign. Governor Romney has excelled at that. He has excellent organizations in the first two states of New Hampshire and Iowa. His challenge is, again, the genuineness. Is he too perfect? Is he too polished? And also as you know he's in the view of many people changed, or certainly his position, on some issues as he has evolved. And he will say to you, I've learned and I've grown. Why wouldn't you want a leader who would do that? But of course, that is going to be what he's going to have to overcome, that people really know what he's standing for and they know what they're getting when they vote for him. The last candidate I'm going to mention very quickly, Fred Thompson, who you all know. Some of you know him from when he was a senator from Tennessee. All of you know him as an actor in movies and on Law and Order. I think -- in the view of a lot of people, he did the voters a favor by getting in late, right? His theory was, as Newt Gingrich once said, by the end of the summer people are going to be tired of these candidates. They're just going to want to vote them off the island.

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And so Senator Thompson's idea was that he would come in as a fresh face. But does that mean that he skipped his spring training? Does that mean that he's rusty when the others have been out there working on their answers, working on their message? I think he starts with a great appeal that people will recognize his face, they'll listen to his voice -- he has a distinctive voice, he doesn't sound like the others. Do people like the folksy thing? Sometimes in America people do, sometimes they don't. But that's -- he's going to have to convince people that he isn't trying to take a shortcut to the most important job in the world, that he's going to do the work that he needs to do. I'm going to make a quick point about the information flow in this race, and then we'll do questions. Even since 2004, and roughly half of you covered that, the amount of data, information, blogs, video that are available about the race, have just exploded. You could sped all day doing nothing but reading very, very well-written and informative and insightful dispatches about this race. We only have one life to live. We only have a year and a half, or whatever it is, until the election. So I'm going to share with you the advice that I give new U.S. reporters when they come on the political beat. And that is, sure, keep up with the news. It's fun to read and you need to sort of know what's going on. But don't spend time reading blogs, reading news articles when you could be out talking to people, experiencing some -- if you have a choice between talking to someone who knows about politics, anything about politics, and reading what someone else has written, talk to them because you want to do something fresh. You want to bring -- every one of you has an advantage over the people in the U.S. press corps, which is that you bring a different perspective, a different set of experiences, a different audience to this. ... FULL TEXT: http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/93064.htm

WWAASSHHIINNGGTTOONN FFIILLEE IITTEEMMSS (published by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State)

Mitt Romney, John McCain Win Big Republican Races Clinton beats Obama narrowly in Nevada on Democratic side January 22, 2008

Washington -- After a week with three nominating contests spread across the country, Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain won their party's latest races. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton came off with another narrow victory. Following his second-place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, most political experts believed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney needed a win to stay competitive. He earned such a victory in the January 15 Michigan primary. Romney connected with voters by focusing on economic issues in a state facing severe financial troubles. ... FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/January/20080122193327hmnietsua0.6023523.html

Barack Obama’s U.S. Presidential Bid Bridges Racial Divisions But “Obamamania” may not put first black person in White House January 18, 2008

Washington -- The candidacy of Barack Obama for U.S. president is galvanizing the American people, several students of the U.S. political scene tell America.gov. With his stirring oratory sparking “Obamamania,” the Illinois Democratic senator connects to people of all different racial and ethnic backgrounds, said William Jelani Cobb, associate professor of history at Spelman College in Georgia.

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Americans are attracted to Obama’s message of bringing people together and the fact that he is African American is “icing on the top,” said Cobb, also an author who specializes in 20th-century American politics. Cobb said Obama’s candidacy is “not driven by race.” … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/January/200801181212531xeneerg0.8178675.html

Immigration Debate Hits Home in Virginia Beach, Virginia Illegal immigration important issue to many Virginia 2nd District voters

January 17, 2008 Washington -- In March 2007, a drunken driver killed two teenage girls and changed the immigration debate in the coastal city of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Immigration is one of the most common topics discussed on the 2008 presidential campaign trail. While presidential candidates debate how to make U.S. borders more secure and how to improve federal immigration guidelines, state and local governments are reviewing their own immigration policies. Virginia Beach, with a population of more than 435,000 and the largest city in the Virginia 2nd Congressional District, is one of those cities reviewing how it deals with illegal immigrants after a local incident received national attention. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/January/20080117171629hmnietsua0.8120996.html

Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Local Democratic Party affiliate began as a third party January 17, 2008

Washington -- Because of the federal structure of the U.S. government, specific election processes are determined at the local level, and this decentralization of government is reflected in the national political parties, which depend on their state and local branches to rally voters on Election Day. Each state branch of the Democratic and Republican parties has its own character and brings different constituencies to the national party. The local idiosyncrasies of U.S. political parties are evident in Minnesota, where the state’s branch of the Democratic Party proudly clings to its local identity: the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party. The origins of the DFL date to 1920, when a labor leader in Chicago invited farmers and workers from across the country to meet in his city. In the 1920s and 1930s, the party ran a number of candidates for state and local office in Minnesota who benefited from the ill fortune of the then-dominant Republican Party. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/January/20080117165020AKllennoCcM0.1427576.html

The Path to the 2008 Presidential Nomination Candidates collect delegates toward their party nominations January 16, 2008

To become a party's nominee for president, a candidate must win the support of a majority of delegates to the party’s national convention in the summer of 2008. For whom those delegates will cast their votes is determined by the outcomes of state caucuses and primaries. Convention delegates are divided among states proportionally. Most of the delegates are "pledged" (or committed) to the candidate who wins the state's primary or caucus. Each party in each state has its own guidelines for awarding delegates. Some states divide their delegates proportionately, while others have a winner-take-all system. Some states' party leaders also select a few "unpledged" delegates and these delegates can vote for any candidate. A candidate must received a majority of convention votes to secure the party’s nomination. If multiple rounds of voting are required to select a candidate -- something that has not occurred in recent election cycles -- most states allow delegates to change their votes after the first round of voting. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/January/20080107110302hmnietsua0.6430017.html

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Minnesota Voters Focused on Immigration, Iraq Transportation infrastructure, farm policies also concerns January 16, 2008

Washington -- The war in Iraq and immigration top the list of issues expected to influence voters of Minnesota's 1st Congressional District heading into November’s presidential and congressional elections, according to a former district congressman. "The war will be on everyone’s minds ... people want to see progress," Tim Penny said. Penny, a Democrat-turned-Independent, told America.gov that transportation infrastructure planning, the direction of U.S. farm programs and perceptions of public officials' effectiveness are other issues that concern the district's voters…. FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/January/20080116090658AKllennoCcM0.8531.html

Local and National Issues Vie for Oregon Voters’ Attention Local journalists assess major issues in 2008 elections

January 16, 2008 Portland, Oregon -- A late speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tip O’Neill, once said, “All politics is local,” implying that Americans vote for congressional representatives based on local concerns rather than national issues. Politics in the United States is decentralized and political parties generally are unable to impose a uniform agenda on the country’s diverse voting districts. There are exceptions, of course, such as the 2006 congressional elections, which turned on the Iraq war issue, but often voters are more concerned about the closing of a local factory, a proposed federal highway bypassing their town or local school finance problems…. FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/elections08-english/2008/January/20080115181425ndyblehs0.1392328.html

How Raucous Is the Caucus? Iowa is first among states that select presidential nominees by discussion December 21, 2007

Washington -- When British writer Lewis Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1885, he satirized a homegrown American political process in “The Caucus-Race.” Organized by the Dodo, it had no logical rules. At a signal, a motley group of animals ran in different directions. When the Dodo declared the race finished, contestants asked “But who has won?” After long thought, the Dodo answered, “Everybody has won, and all must have prizes.” To an outsider, the caucus may seem as nonsensical as Carroll’s Caucus-Race: “the best way to explain it is to do it,” the Dodo tells Alice. In fact, caucuses are all about doing: giving up personal time, talking, deciding and realigning loyalties when a favored candidate fails to win enough support to be “viable.” ... FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/December/20071221110904mlenuhret5.692691e-02.html

Voters, Candidates Shifting Their Attention to Economic Issues As situation in Iraq improves, Americans more concerned about economy December 20, 2007

Washington -- "It's the economy, stupid." President Bill Clinton's staffers used this popular slogan in his 1992 campaign against George H. W. Bush to indicate that, with the country deep in a recession, the economy was at the top of voters' minds. Today, there is growing indication that when Americans are asked about their top concern, again it's the economy, stupid. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/December/20071220142655hmnietsua0.2413294.html

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New Primary Schedule Brings New Challenges for Candidates With only a few days between contests, “momentum matters,” experts say December 17, 2007

Washington -- With the presidential election primary season beginning -- and possibly ending -- earlier than ever before, candidates face many new challenges, political experts say. Iowa and New Hampshire have state laws saying they must hold their nominating contests first. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/December/20071217111840amnietsua1.400173e-03.html

In Presidential Election, Americans Might Be Looking for Change Voter support in 2008 could depend more on fresh ideas than experience December 12, 2007

Washington -- Recent polls show that Americans split their support among many presidential candidates. However, these same polls indicate there is one thing on which many Americans agree: It is time for a change. A CBS News/New York Times poll released December 10 found that 71 percent of Americans think their country is on the wrong track. Approval ratings for both the president and Congress continue to be low. The poll also showed that a majority of Americans think the economy is worsening. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/December/20071212090813hmnietsua0.4169428.html

Young Americans Paying Close Attention to Presidential Race Supporters of both parties concerned about Iraq, health care December 6, 2007

Washington -- Young Americans are paying attention to the 2008 presidential race, and many are ready to help their preferred candidate achieve victory, a poll by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics (IOP) shows. Like the national average, voter turnout among young Americans has been on the rise. From 2000 to 2004, turnout among 18- to 29-year-olds increased 9 percent, more than double the overall turnout increase. In the 2006 midterm elections, turnout in this age group was 3 percent higher than in 2002, nearly double the national turnout increase. The 2006 election was the first increase in young voter turnout in a nonpresidential election in 24 years. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/December/20071206173711hmnietsua9.809512e-02.html

Americans' Political Divisions Not Necessarily Bad, Experts Say Many factors contribute to "red state-blue state" divide December 3, 2007

Washington -- Although Americans feel politically divided today, this polarization is not necessarily a bad thing, political experts say. Today, the division among Americans is often depicted in the colors red and blue. During the contested 2000 election between George W. Bush and then-Vice President Al Gore, Americans spent weeks looking at maps depicting in red the states that voted Republican and in blue the states that voted Democrat. Since then, defining political views as "red" (Republican) or "blue" (Democratic) is a regular occurrence. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/December/20071203092217hmnietsua1.266116e-02.html

Candidates Target Different Voters in Primary, General Elections After wooing party supporters in primaries, nominees move to the center November 28, 2007

Washington -- To win primary elections in the United States, presidential candidates must convince members of their own political party that they share the party’s political views.

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This means that during the nomination season, Democrats hit the campaign trail to discuss issues that matter to liberal voters, while Republicans focus on the topics that conservatives care about. In the 2008 primary races, Democrats are focusing on troop withdrawal from Iraq and health care issues, while Republicans are highlighting their tough stances on immigration and national security, according to Howard Reiter, professor of political science at the University of Connecticut. ... FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/November/20071127174714hmnietsua0.9782831.html

Pollsters Take the Political Pulse of American Voters California's Field Poll copes with changing attitudes, demographics November 13, 2007

Washington -- In 1936, when public opinion polls were in their infancy, the prestigious Literary Digest conducted an ambitious survey using phone books and automobile registrations. Their conclusion: Republican Alf Landon handily would defeat incumbent President Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt, of course, won in a landslide. That public humiliation caused pollsters to adopt rigorous new standards to increase the accuracy and reliability of their results. Today, public opinion polls have not become infallible, but polling has become ubiquitous in American life, whether measuring attitudes toward presidential candidates or public schools, car insurance or computers. CANDIDATES AND POLLS Estimates are that, for the 2008 election cycle, more than 500 state and national polls actively are surveying the American public, whether about the presidential race ("If the election were held today, who would you vote for?"), or about views on issues from Iraq to taxes. ... FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/November/20071113154038attocnich0.7833979.html

Front-Running Presidential Candidates Face High Expectations Attention, good and bad, can pose challenges for leading candidates November 8, 2007

Washington -- Front-runners in the race for U.S. president face a paradox: the advantage in leading their competitors might also be a disadvantage. As Republican consultant Craig Shirley told USINFO, the inherent danger for presidential front-runners is that the "higher up the flagpole the candidate gets, the more people can see your backside." Shirley, who heads the Virginia-based Shirley and Banister Public Affairs consulting firm, told USINFO that presidential front-runners enjoy more media attention and attract more campaign contributions and volunteers "because people naturally gravitate toward winners." … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/November/200711071727401xeneerg0.9862329.html

Long-Shot Presidential Candidates Still Can Have Major Impact Some unlikely candidates win, others bring important issues to light October 25, 2007

Portland, Oregon -- “I would rather be right than president,” the 19th-century American statesman Henry Clay once said, and many candidates lagging behind the leaders in the 2008 presidential race may take consolation in his words as they contemplate their situation. Being overwhelmed in a presidential race never is fun, and it can be particularly difficult for those accustomed to success such as senators and governors, noted military leaders and business leaders. For such high achievers, it can be particularly galling to run at the back of the pack, unable to gain the funds needed to earn serious attention. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/October/20071024185042hmnietsua0.4379694.html

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Young People Play Key Roles in Presidential Campaigns Campaign staff, volunteers put in long hours for their candidates October 24, 2007

Washington -- Working for a presidential campaign requires lots of time and energy, something America's young people have in abundance. In the Republican and Democratic parties, much of a candidate's volunteer base is made up of students "who have the time and also the energy to do neighborhood walks and knock on doors and make phone calls," said Jordan Sekulow, who was 22 when he served as national youth director for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/October/20071024170124hmnietsua0.6329462.html

Experts Weigh Value of Endorsements of Presidential Candidates Importance, impact of celebrity endorsements questioned October 16, 2007

Washington -– Political pundits are debating whether newly named Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore will endorse one of the candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. But perhaps an equally important debate is whether such an endorsement would even matter in the U.S. presidential race. Michael Shea, who heads a Boston political consulting firm for Democrats, told USINFO that casting a ballot for president is the “most personal vote a person makes,” which diminishes the power of an endorsement from a well-known politician. ... FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/October/200710161815561xeneerg0.7111017.html

Rich Candidates Abound as Presidential Campaign Costs Rise U.S. election law aims at limiting advantage that wealth provides October 16, 2007

Washington -- Chances are strong that the next U.S. president will be a millionaire. All three Democratic front-runners and all four of the top Republican contenders fall into that category. They range from the wealthiest, Republican Mitt Romney -- with a fortune estimated at between $190 million and $250 million -- to Democrat Barack Obama, who only recently achieved millionaire status when advances on two books he wrote in 2005 pushed his reported worth to at least $1.1 million. The wealth of Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, and Republicans John McCain, Rudolph Giuliani and Fred Thompson, fall somewhere within that range. ... FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/October/20071016174359ndyblehs0.8567926.html

Presidential Campaigns Take to the Internet Activists use Web logs to rally support for their favorite candidates September 26, 2007

Washington -- Previously, the best way for the average American citizen to get involved in a presidential campaign was volunteering to distribute flyers or to organize local campaign events. But today, thousands of Americans are getting involved in the 2008 campaign by logging onto the Internet and writing blogs.... FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/September/20070925174334ndyblehs0.8770563.html

Early Primaries and Caucuses Shape Presidential Hopefuls’ Odds Campaign season unsettled in 2008 U.S. election September 17, 2007

Washington -- State primary elections and caucuses held early in the race to determine the Republican and Democratic candidates for president of the United States give an indication of how candidates will do throughout the campaign season. Caucuses gauge support for presidential candidates through local meetings of party members, while primary elections gauge support through statewide direct voting. The events

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determine which candidates will receive a state’s votes for the Republican and Democratic nominations at the political parties' national conventions held later in the year.... FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/September/20070917120019ndyblehs0.1648523.html

EELLEECCTTOORRAALL CCOOLLLLEEGGEE The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections CRS Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service/Library of Congress, updated November 5, 2004

When Americans vote for a President and Vice President, they actually vote for presidential electors, known collectively as the electoral college. It is these electors, chosen by the people, who elect the chief executive. The Constitution assigns each state a number of electors equal to the combined total of its Senate and House of Representatives delegations; at present, the number of electors per state ranges from three to 55, for a total of 538, a figure which includes three electors for the District of Columbia. Anyone may serve as an elector, except for Members of Congress, and persons holding offices of “Trust or Profit” under the Constitution. In each presidential election year, a group (ticket or slate) of candidates for elector is nominated by political parties and other groups in each state, usually at a state party convention, or by the party state committee. It is these elector-candidates, rather than the presidential and vice presidential nominees, for whom the people vote in the election held on Tuesday after the first Monday in November. ... FULL TEXT: http://www.usembassy.at/en/download/pdf/electoral_college.pdf (pdf)

(Source: The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections)

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Frequently Asked Questions Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State

What is the Electoral College? The Electoral College is the group of citizens designated by the states to cast votes for the president and vice president on behalf of state citizens. The process for selecting electors varies from state to state, but usually the political parties nominate electors at state party conventions or by a vote of the party's central committee. The voters in each state, by casting votes for president and vice president, choose the electors on the day of the general election. The Electoral College, not the popular vote, elects the president, but the two votes are tied closely. How does the Electoral College elect the president? The Electoral College system gives each state the same number of electoral votes as it has members of Congress. The District of Columbia is allocated three electoral votes. There are a total of 538 votes in the Electoral College; a candidate for president must get 270 to win (a simple majority). All but two states have a winner-take-all system, in which the candidate who gets the most popular votes in the state is allocated all of the state's electoral votes. The electors usually gather in their state capitals in December to cast their votes. The electoral votes are then sent to Washington, where they are counted in the presence of a joint session of Congress in January. If no presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the 12th Amendment to the Constitution provides for the presidential election to be decided by the House of Representatives. In such situations, the House selects the president by majority vote, choosing from the three candidates who received the greatest number of electoral votes. Each state would cast one vote. If no vice presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the Senate selects the vice president by majority vote, with each senator choosing from the two candidates who received the greatest number of electoral votes. FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/pubs-english/2007/October/20071009122854hmnietsua7.178903e-03.html

Electoral College – Frequently Asked Questions U.S. National Archives & Records Administration

How d d the terms "Elector" and "Electoral College" come into usage? iThe term "electoral college" does not appear in the Constitution. Article II of the Constitution and the 12th Amendment refer to "electors," but not to the "electoral college." In the Federalist Papers (No. 68), Alexander Hamilton refers to the process of selecting the Executive, and refers to "the people of each State (who) shall choose a number of persons as electors," but he does not use the term "electoral college." The founders appropriated the concept of electors from the Holy Roman Empire (962 - 1806). An elector was one of a number of princes of the various German states within the Holy Roman Empire who had a right to participate in the election of the German king (who generally was crowned as emperor). The term "college" (from the Latin collegium), refers to a body of persons that act as a unit, as in the college of cardinals who advise the Pope and vote in papal elections. In the early 1800's, the term "electoral college" came into general usage as the unofficial designation for the group of citizens selected to cast votes for President and Vice President. It was first written into Federal law in 1845, and today the term appears in 3 U.S.C. section 4, in the section heading and in the text as "college of electors." … FULL TEXT: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/print_friendly.html?page=faq_content.html&title=NARA%20%7C%20Federal%20Register%20%7C%20U.%20S.%20Electoral%20College

Has the Electoral College Outlived Its Usefulness? Article from the eJournal “The Long Campaign: U.S. Elections 2008,” published by the Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State, October 2007

Two scholars debate the pros and cons of the Electoral College, the system by which each state appoints electors who choose the U.S. president after the popular vote has been cast. Ross K. Baker makes the case for retaining the Electoral College as it was established by the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Baker is a professor of political science at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Jamie Raskin presents

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the arguments for adapting the Electoral College system to ensure that election results reflect the national popular vote. Raskin is a Maryland state senator and a professor of constitutional law at American University in Washington, D.C. He introduced legislation that made Maryland the first state in the country to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. … FULL TEXT: http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/1007/ijde/usefulness.htm

Distribution of Electoral Votes Federal Elections Commission http://www.fec.gov/pages/elecvote.htm CCAANNDDIIDDAATTEESS • Meet the 2008 Presidential Candidates Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State http://uspolitics.america.gov/uspolitics/elections/candidates.html

A look at the men and woman competing for the Republican and Democratic nominations • Candidates on the Issues http://uspolitics.america.gov/uspolitics/elections/issues.htmlA quick look at the candidates' views on key international issues (climate change, immigration, Iraq, security, trade)

• The Presidential Field – Full coverage of the 2008 candidates The Washington Post http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/ • Candidates The New York Times http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/candidates/index.html • Presidential Candidate Profiles The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life – Religion & Politics http://pewforum.org/religion08/ EELLEECCTTIIOONN CCALLEENNDDAARRSS AANNDD PPRRIIMMAARRYY SSCHHEEDDUULLEESS

A C

NASS Calendar of 2008 State Primary & Caucus Dates

cman&task=doc_download&gid=92

• National Association of Secretaries of State http://nass.org/index.php?option=com_do (pdf)

2008 Presidential Primary Calendar

elect/2008_Pres_Primary_Calendar.htm

•National Conference of State Legislatures http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legismgt/

As it stands right now 34 states will hold presidential primaries or caucuses on or before February 5, with 24

State Order _Prim_ByState.htm

of these contests to be held on February 5. … • 2008 Presidential Primary Calendar –http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legismgt/elect/2008_Pres

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The New York Times 0 ry Schedule

uide/2008/primaries/republicanprimaries/index.html

•20 8 Republican Primahttp://politics.nytimes.com/election-g2008 Democratic Primary Schedule http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/primaries/democraticprimaries/index.html 2008 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions Chronologically

enpapers.com/P08/events.phtml?s=c

•The Green Papers http://www.thegre PPRREESSIIDDEENNTTIIAALL DDEEBBAATTEESS

ommission on Presidential Debates Chttp://www.debates.org/

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) was established in 1987 to ensure that debates, as a

inston-Salem,

p.m. ET.

presidential debate will focus on

permanent part of every general election, provide the best possible information to viewers and listeners. Its primary purpose is to sponsor and produce debates for the United States presidential and vice presidential candidates and to undertake research and educational activities relating to the debates. The organization, which is a nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation, sponsored all the presidential debates in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004.

• Commission on Presidential Debates Announces Sites, Dates, Formats and Candidate Selection Criteria for 2008 General Election, November 19, 2007 … - First presidential debate: Friday, September 26, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS - Vice presidential debate: Thursday, October 2, Washington University in St. Louis, MO - Second presidential debate: Tuesday, October 7, Belmont University, Nashville, TN

Y - Third presidential debate: Wednesday, October 15, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NThe two backup sites are Centre College in Danville, KY and Wake Forest University in WNC. The Commission also announced formats for the debates. All debates will be ninety minutes in length and start at 9:00 Each debate will be administered by a single moderator.

icy; the third The first presidential debate will focus on domestic polforeign policy. The second presidential (town meeting format) debate will include any issues raised by members of that audience, and the vice presidential debate will include domestic and foreign policy. ... FULL TEXT: http://www.debates.org/pages/news_111907.html

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Searhttp://www.fec.gov/Disclosure • Receipts of 2008 Presidential Campaigns http://www.fec.gov/press/presssummary.pdf (pdf)

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Campaign Finance: Developments in the 110th Congress CRS Report for Congress, Congressional Research Service/Library of Congress, September 28, 2007

Recent events suggest continued congressional interest in campaign finance policy. This report provides an overview and analysis of 110th Congress legislation addressed in hearings or that has passed at least one chamber. The report also discusses two policy developments: Federal Election Commission (FEC) nominations and a recent Supreme Court ruling that could affect future political advertising (Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.) As of this writing, approximately 50 bills devoted largely to campaign finance have been introduced in the 110th Congress, but none have become law. ... FULL TEXT: http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/93477.pdf (pdf)

Campaign 2008: Campaign Finance The Washington Post http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/finance/ Campaign Finance CQ MoneyLine http://moneyline.cq.com/pml/home.do?MBF=pres ’08 Presidential Fundraising opensecrets.org http://www.opensecrets.org/ Campaign Finance and the 2008 Presidential Election Foreign Press Center Briefing with Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, Counsel for Campaign Finance Reform Project, New York University School of Law; Richard Briffault, Joseph P. Chamberlain Professor of Legislation, Columbia University Law School New York, New York, April 18, 2007

... MS. TORRES-SPELLISCY: Good afternoon. My name is Ciara Torres-Spelliscy. I'm an attorney at the Brennan Center for Justice where I work on campaign finance reform. Usually I spend most of my days getting calls from people who were drafting legislation. They give me a draft bill and they ask me if it's Constitutional. I'm going to emphasize the reform aspect of Federal Campaign Finance laws especially in the context of the upcoming election for the White House. …

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So why is 2008 shaping up to be a billion dollar race for the Presidency? One, there is no heir apparent. Bush can't constitutionally run for another term and Cheney is not running. So there is a wide open field for both political parties. Two, so far no frontrunner candidate is willing to opt into the public financing system in the primary. Without public financing, there's no spending limit. And without public financing, there's little incentive to go after small contributors because small contributions are no longer matched, which has a consequence of focusing fundraising on the largest donors that you can find. Three, after McCain-Feingold, which is also known as BICRA, parties are no longer allowed to spend soft money on federal campaigns, which leads candidates to gather as many hard money contributions from as many donors as possible. Four, what I would call the mega primary, New York and California have moved their primaries to February 5th, and 18 other states are likely to do the same. This requires candidates to run campaigns simultaneously in the most expensive media markets, which in turn requires millions of dollars. So all of these forces are coming together to create a perfect storm, and this is pushing candidates towards the most expensive presidential season ever. So let me take a step back. So where is the need for reform in all of that? For me, the answer lies in the economic context in which this presidential race is being run. ... FULL TEXT: http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/84893.htm

2008 Presidential Campaign Finance Overview Foreign Press Center Briefing with Ben Ginsberg, Partner, Patton Boggs and NBC News Contributor Washington, D.C., April 13, 2007

... MR. GINSBERG: … Let me, let me start off by sort of telling you why I think this election in the United States, the presidential election in 2007 and 2008 is really unique amongst the ones that we've had in this country, and certainly the ones in which I've been involved. And while I admit to being a partisan and, in fact, I'm representing Governor Romney this year, this briefing is designed to tell you about the system as a whole, but in the interest of full disclosure, I wanted you to know that. ... FULL TEXT: http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/83138.htm

FFRREEQQUUEENNTTLLYY AASSKKEEDD QQUUEESSTTIIOONNSS Frequently Asked Questions United States Election Assistance Commission

Q. Why are federal elections held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November? A. The Tuesday after the first Monday in November was initially established in 1845 (3 U.S.C. 1) for the appointment of Presidential electors in every fourth year. 2 U.S.C. 7 established this date for electing U.S. Representatives in every even numbered year in 1875. Finally, 2 U.S.C. 1 established this date as the time for electing U.S. Senators in 1914. Why early November? For much of our history America was a predominantly agrarian society. Law makers therefore took into account that November was perhaps the most convenient month for farmers and rural workers to be able to travel to the polls. The fall harvest was over, (remembering that spring was planting time and summer was taken up with working the fields and tending the crops) but in the majority of the nation the weather was still mild enough to permit travel over unimproved roads. Why Tuesday? Since most residents of rural America had to travel a significant distance to the county seat in order to vote, Monday was not considered reasonable as many people would need to begin travel on Sunday. This would, of course, have conflicted with church services and Sunday worship. Why the first Tuesday after the first Monday? Lawmakers wanted to prevent election day from falling on the first of November for two reasons. November 1st is All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics. In addition, most merchants

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were in the habit of doing their books from the preceding month on the 1st. Congress was apparently worried that the economic success or failure of the previous month might influence the vote of the merchants. … FULL TEXT: http://www.eac.gov/voter/faq/?searchterm=faq

Quick Answers to General Questions Federal Election Commission

Can non-US citizens contribute? Foreign nationals are prohibited from making any contributions or expenditures in connection with any election in the U.S. Please note, however, that "green card" holders (i.e., individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the U.S.) are not considered foreign nationals and, as a result, may contribute. … FULL TEXT: http://www.fec.gov/ans/answers_general.shtml

Frequently Asked Questions Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State

Who can vote? American citizens ages 18 and older can register to vote. To register, voters must meet the residency requirements of their states, which vary, and comply with voter-registration deadlines.... What are the requirements for running for elected office in the United States? Each federal elected office has different requirements, which are laid out in Articles I and II of the U.S. Constitution. A candidate for president of the United States must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years. A vice president must meet the same qualifications. Under the 12th Amendment to the Constitution, the vice president cannot be from the same state as the president. ... When are primary elections held? State and local governments determine the dates on which primary elections or caucuses are held. These dates, and the amount of time between a primary and general election, significantly influence how early candidates begin campaigning and the choices they make about how and when campaign funds are spent. In the run-up to presidential elections, victories in primaries held very early in the election year, such as that in New Hampshire, can influence the outcome of later state primaries. ... Why is voter turnout sometimes low in the United States? Several factors seem to influence voter turnout, which was approximately 41 percent of eligible voters in 2006 and 61 percent in 2004. Many observers believe that current registration laws hinder voter turnout. The demographic composition of the electorate, long periods of political or economic stability, predictable outcomes in many races and some candidates’ lack of popular appeal are other factors affecting voter turnout. Turnout tends to be higher in general elections than in primary elections. Turnout also tends to be higher in years in which the president is elected than in midterm elections. … FULL TEXT: http://www.america.gov/st/pubs-english/2007/October/20071009122854hmnietsua7.178903e-03.html

TTRRIIVVIIAA How Did Republicans Pick the Elephant, and Democrats the Donkey, to Represent Their Parties? C-SPAN - Capitol Questions

They didn't pick these labels – they got stuck with them! Their origin as symbols for the parties is attributed to a political cartoonist, Thomas Nast, who used the donkey and the elephant in cartoons drawn for Harper's Weekly in the 1870's. Why Nast chose the donkey and the elephant is a pretty complicated story. ... FULL TEXT: http://www.c-span.org/questions/week174.htm

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Presidential Quizzes Grolier Online - The American Presidency http://ap.grolier.com/quiz Trivia President Elect – The Unofficial Homepage of the Electoral College http://www.presidentelect.org/trivia.html Just for Fun: Presidential Trivia National Park Service

... George W. Bush, 43rd President: 2001- Present First son of a president to become president since John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams. ... William J. Clinton, 42nd President: 1993-2001 Clinton was the first U.S. Democratic president to win reelection since Franklin D. Roosevelt.... George H.W. Bush, 41st President: 1989-1993 Bush is distantly related to Presidents Pierce, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Ford, and Winston Churchill.... Ronald W. Reagan, 40th President: 1981-1989 At age 69, Ronald Reagan became the oldest person ever elected U.S. president.... FULL TEXT: http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/pres/trivia.htm

CCAANNDDIIDDAATTEE MMAATTCCHHIINNGG SSIITTEESS • ABC News: Match-o-Matic

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/page?id=3623346 • USA Today Candidate Match Game

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/candidate-match-game.htm • Glassboth – Quiz to help you choose the best 2008 presidential candidate

http://glassbooth.org/ • WQAD – Select a Candidate 2008 Quiz

http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460 • VAJoe.com Candidate Calculator

http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html MMEDDIIAA

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Elections/wp-dyn/content/politics/elections/

- The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com

• Politics blog: The Fix, by Chris Cilliza

•

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/

• Election Guide 2008 – The New York Times 2008/primaries/states/index.html

http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/• Politics blog: The Caucus

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/

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• lection Center 2008 – CNN ON/2008/

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/Programs/situation.room/blog/• Blog: The Situation Room

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http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm •

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http://www.npr.org/templates/topics/topic.php?topicId=1102Election 2008 – NPR (National Public Ra

• http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/

Campaign 2008 – The Hill

• Journal

http://nationaljournal.com/campaigns/Campaign Tracker 2008 - National

• Blog: The Hotline on Call http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/

• You Ch

http://www.youtube.com/youchooseoose ’08 – YouTube

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http://www.pollingreport.com/2008.htm

PP • Election 2008 – PollingReport.com

• Election 2008 – Gallup

http://www.gallup.com/tag/Election%2b2008.aspx • Polls – The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/politics/polls/ • Poll – Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/timespoll/ • CBS News Polls

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/opinion/polls • ABCNews Polling Unit

http://abcnews.go.com/pollingunit/ • Election 2008: Presidential, Senate and House Races – electoral.vote.com

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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http://www.electoral-vote.com/ • The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

http://people-press.org/ WW

ureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State)

Getting Out the Vote: Text Messages and Political Campaigns

… Matt Bieber: During the last few election cycles, we have seen an explosion of new media techniques in a, Facebook and

to express their

EEBBCCHHAATTSS (B Elections 2008 - With Matt Bieber, November 19, 2007

elections. You probably know about social networking sites, for example. (In Americl citizens are now also uploading video to YouTube MySpace are very popular.) Individua

feelings about the candidates. Internet fundraising widgets are allowing anyone to raise money for their candidate. … FULL TRANSCRIPT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/November/20071119144120xjsnommis0.7180445.html

ElecWith

… Kellyanne Conway: Generally, women voters in the U.S. value presidential candidates who seem tough eir deportment. Men and women both agree that

otes in 2008, but women have placed

tions 2008: Women Voters in the United States Kellyanne Conway, November 9, 2007

yet compassionate, in both their policy positions and the that will affect their vIraq and terrorism are the number one issu

healthcare second on their list. Women tend to be especially interested in candidate positions about healthcare, retirement security, crime and education. … FULL TRANSCRIPT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/November/20071109162306eaifas0.4534418.html

Elec tion? With

... Paul DeGregorio: Voting technologies, particularly electronic voting technologies, are under close ublic. The US Election Assistance

nt and state election officials

tions 2008 – New Voting Technology: Problem or Solu Paul DeGregorio, November 6, 2007

scrutiny in the USA by election authorities, interest groups and the pw laboratories that test the equipmeCommission (EAC) continues to certify ne

have imposed new guidelines and tests on such equipment. The EAC recently put forth some new management guidelines that will help local and state election officials manage new voting technologies. ... FULL TRANSCRIPT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/November/20071106135624eaifas0.2745783.html

ElecWith

…Jerry Hagstrom: The electoral college started because the founding fathers thought that an educated t the president. Today the importance of the system is that it gives weight to

l to the numbers of House members and senators from each state.

tions 2008: A Fresh Start Jerry Hagstrom, October 29, 2007

group of electors should seleceach state because the electors are equaThat gives more weight to the low population states. The advantage is that all parts of the country are important in the election. The negative side is that the president is not necessarily chosen by the largest numbers of votes. … FULL TRANSCRIPT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/October/20071029122633eaifas0.3476984.html

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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ElecWith

… James Dickenson: The big difference is that most democracies are parliamentary systems in which the party that wins the most seats elects its prime minister internally, in other words the party's members of

the U.S. the voters elect our president separately often have a president who belongs to one party and the

tions 2008: Covering the Presidential Campaign James “Jim” Dickenson, October 24, 2007

parliament select one of their leaders as prime minister. Infrom the members of Congress. As a result we Congress controlled by the opposing party. Some people dislike this because it's hard to get anything done, some like it precisely for that reason, that it's a check and balance. … FULL TRANSCRIPT: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2007/October/20071025133325xjsnommis1.522243e-03.html

AARR

or assy.atTTIICCLLEESS AANNDD TTHHIINNKK TTAANNKK IITTEEMMSS full text please contact the American Reference Center at: arc@usemb )

trong with P blic Race

uary 17, 2008 There has been no shortage of drama in either party's early presidential primaries, but in the public's view

Four-in-ten Americans (40%) say they find the e proportion describing the Republican race as

e of his campaign. ...

(f Democratic Primaries Register S ly uNews Audiences Much Less Interested in GOP Survey Report, The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, released Jan

the Democratic contest has been far more compelling. Democratic primary race very interesting, nearly double thvery interesting (21%). While press coverage of the campaign during the week of the New Hampshire primaries focused mainly on Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain, the public remained focused primarily on the two Democratic frontrunners. McCain got virtually no boost in terms of his public visibility from the significant increase in press coveragFULL TEXT: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=386

In GRom nservatives Surv January 16, 2008

The Republican nomination contest is being increasingly shaped by ideology and religion as it moves toward out to a solid lead nationally, increasing his

2% in late December to 29% currently. Mike t

OP Primaries: Three Victors, Three Constituencies ney Gains Among Non-Evangelical Co

ey Report, The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, released

the Super Tuesday states on Feb. 5. John McCain has moved support among Republican and GOP-leaning voters from 2Huckabee, at 20%, and Mitt Romney, with 17%, trail McCain. Rudy Giuliani is a distant fourth, polling jus13%. Giuliani's support has declined seven points since late December. McCain's gains over this period have come almost entirely from moderate and liberal Republicans, among whom he now holds a two-to-one lead over his rivals. ... FULL TEXT: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=385

InteSociSurv January 11, 2008

The internet is living up to its potential as a major source for news about the presidential campaign. Nearly rly learn something about the campaign from the internet,

point in the 2004 campaign (13%). e role

gn news from the internet. ... FULL TEXT: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=384

rnet's Broader Role in Campaign 2008 al Networking and Online Videos Take Off ey Report, The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, released

a quarter of Americans (24%) say they regulaalmost the double the percentage from a comparableMoreover, the internet has now become a leading source of campaign news for young people and thof social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook is a notable part of the story. Fully 42% of those ages 18 to 29 say they regularly learn about the campaign from the internet, the highest percentage for any news source. In January 2004, just 20% of young people said they routinely got campai

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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IntePosSurv

of his vi t time supplanted Hillary ey heard the most about

Obama in the days immediately after the caucuses (Jan. 4-7), while 28% named Clinton as the most visible tently dominated the list of who Americans

ntion

tes, led by Obama and Clinton, far surpass the GOP candidates in

nse Iowa Coverage Leads Many to Say “Too Much” t-Iowa, Democratic Candidates Still Most Visible ey Report, The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, released January 10, 2008 In the wake ctory in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, Barack Obama for the firsClinton as the most visible presidential candidate. Overall, 38% of Americans say th

candidate. In measures throughout 2007, Hillary Clinton consishad been hearing about in the news. Despite his victory in Iowa's Republican caucus, Mike Huckabee did not receive the same public atteas did Obama. Just 13% of Americans name Huckabee as the candidate they were hearing the most about in the week after the caucuses, compared with 38% for Obama. This is true even among Republicans. About three-in-ten Republicans (31%) name Obama as the presidential candidate they heard the most about compared with 24% who name Huckabee. As a group, the Democratic candidapublic visibility. Two-thirds of the public (67%) name a Democrat as the candidate they have heard the most about, with Obama and Clinton receiving the lion's share of mentions. By contrast, just 19% name a Republican, with most (13%) mentioning Huckabee. … FULL TEXT: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=383

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l donors needed to win the presidency and give

FULL TEXT: http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=269322

ovs Weigh In On Presidential Race amela M. Prah, Stateline.org, January 8, 2008 In the run for the White House, 22 governors have lined up behind candidates, so far, Governors' endorsements can provide ground troops and politicagovernors an edge for plum spots if they made the right pick.

The Candidates Make Their Case For Black Votes By S

ecause he is Black? Or for Clinton because of Richardson or others in

the field offer real alternatives?" This article discusses the platforms of U.S. presidential candidates which

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ions reflect posturing for the primaries, and the rhetoric may be different once nominees have been endorsed at the Democratic and Republican conventions. Hosford also points

ir positions in the final run-up. Still, there is general that Iran should not be equipped with nuclear

ylvester Monroe, Sylvester and Kevin Chappell, Ebony, January 2008 "How do voters distinguish between Democratic front-runners Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Bill Richardson? Do they vote for Obama just bher husband's ongoing popularity among African-Americans? Or do Edwards and

address African American issues.

2008 Presidential Primaries and Arms Control achary M. Hosford, Arms Control Today, December 2007 The U.S. presidential campaign has given voice to a range of views on arms control and nonproliferation topics, ranging from ballistic missile defense to the status of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The author points out that many of the candidates’ posit

out that world events may cause candidates to alter theagreement among the candidates about certain issues, such as weapons. Various candidates see different ways to prevent the advent of nuclear terrorism, but Republican Governor Mitt Romney advocates creating new international laws to make nuclear trafficking a crime against humanity. He and Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton have said they will create a senior position to fight the spread of nuclear terrorism. Former Democratic Senator John Edwards says he will create a new “Global Nuclear Compact” to strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and close any gaps that might allow rogue states to divert nuclear materials or misuse nuclear facilities. Democratic Senator Barack Obama supports an NPT provision to automatically trigger strong international sanctions against potential treaty violators. But Republican Senator John McCain disagrees with the proposition that nuclear technology can be shared responsibly without the potential threat of proliferation. He is equally tough on

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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missile defense, saying he dismisses Russia’s objections. Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani also vows to press ahead on the program while Republican Senator Ron Paul sees it as unnecessary. FULL TEXT: http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2007_12/NewsAnalysis.asp

tical Bloggers at Newspaper Sites Help Drive 2008 Campaign Coverage? oe Strupp, Editor & Publisher, December 2007 Mainstream news outlets have embraced the Web log, making political blogs key f

PoliBy J

eatures of campaign no Gazette-Journal, The

Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post. They say blogs provide more information sreel,” says Michael

,” adding that anything goes: serious reporting comes

coverage. The author interviews political bloggers from the Los Angeles Times, Re

sooner, but it’s demanding work and the results are unpredictable. “It is an online newTackett of the Chicago Tribune’s “The Swampalongside gossip, trivia and campaign ad videos. Blogs allow greater freedom and can give a local flavor. “It is like a conversation, and it does not take as much context as a story because it is for people who know the context,” says the Reno Gazette Journal’s Anjeanette Damon. But writing at a fever pitch opens the doors to more editorial slips and errors. Cross-referencing competitors is new. It is part of Internet culture to feature a “blogroll,” links to other similar blogs. Blogs also invite readers to post comments. The author maintains that, thanks to blogs, candidates now receive unprecedented exposure. FULL TEXT: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003685680

TheBy Arian Campo-Flores and Suzanne Smalley, Newsweek, December 24, 2007

the last time. A relentless trial lawyer who got rich by outworking and outpreparing the competition, he

spent the last three years applying those skills to plot his comeback. He was convinced that a retooled ch-versus-poor "two Americas" theme he adopted in 2004 would find an even larger

the Iowa caucus in January

Road Warrior

"Those who know Edwards never doubted he would be back this year, campaigning even harder than hedid

version of the riaudience now." This article discusses John Edwards's prospects on the eve of2008, with Edwards trailing in public opinion polls. FULL TEXT: http://www.newsweek.com/id/78238

Clinton Referendum att Bai, New York Times Magazine, December 23, 2007

The article reports on the ways in which ex-U.S.

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President Bill Clinton's legacy will affect the 2008 elected. Bill has been making stump speeches for

Hillary's campaign, emphasizing how she will bring health care coverage to all U.S. citizens, build a jobs e energy, and improve the education system. But Clinton critics claim that Bill

presidential race and Hillary Clinton's chances of being

program around alternativmay have missed his chance to bring real change to the U.S.FULL TEXT: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/magazine/23clintonism-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin

rn of the Nativist yan Lizza, The New Yorker, December 17, 2007

RetuBy R

migration. Ryan Lizza a hard line on immigration) in the immigration debate among

front running Republican candidates for president is "a surprising development and indicates one more way are rejecting George W. Bush's approach to the issue."

PrimAn I

on given the unprecedented clustering of primaries and caucuses in the first two months of 2008.

This article discusses the leading Republican Presidential candidates’ views on imwrites that "the emergence of Tancredoism" (

in which GOP faithful

ary Problems: How Exit Pollsters Plan to Cope with a Super-Crowded Election Season nterview with Joe Lenski, Interviewer: Andrew Kohut, Pew Research Center, December 14, 2007 In an exclusive interview, Joe Lenski, co-founder and Executive Vice President of Edison Media Research, discusses the special problems in conducting exit polls this campaign seas

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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FULL TEXT: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/662/exit-polls-primary-problems TheBy Z

ke Huckabee, highlighting his political ave "an established

organization and no real policy platform or international know-how, his populist sentiment, religious faith, have changed the dynamics of the Republican Party presidential race."

html?ref=magazine

Huckabee Factor ev Chafets, New York Times Magazine, December 12, 2007 The author profiles the life and career of U.S. presidential hopeful Micampaigns, popularity ratings, and policy considerations. While Huckabee may not h

and folksy friendlinessFULL TEXT: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/magazine/16huckabee.

WillBy B

. And while ad

better hope that being hard to like won't hurt their election prospects.

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ve, as a couple, a staggering $150,000 to $200,000 to candidates and political parties per election cycle.

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e survey of Latinos by the Pew Hispanic Center has found.

mselves Democrats or say they lean to the Democratic point gap in

//pewhispanic.org/files/reports/83.pdf

Americans Elect a President They Don't Like? urt Solomon, National Journal, December 8, 2007 In presidential politics, as in every other form of popular entertainment, personality countsRepublican Rudy Giuliani and Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton possess celebrity in spades, they h

Super Donors

liza Newlin Carney, National Journal, December 8, 2007 An analysis done for National Journal by the Center for Responsive Politics identified a select group of perhaps a dozen lobbyists who each double up with their spouses to gi

Hispanics and the 2008 Election: A Swing Vote?

aul Taylor and Richard Fry, Report, Pew Hispanic Center, released December 6, 2007 After spending the first part of this decade loosening their historic ties to the Democratic Party, Hispanic voters have reversed course in the past year, a new nationwid

Some 57% of Hispanic registered voters now call theParty, while just 23% align with the Republican Party – meaning there is now a 34 percentagepartisan affiliation among Latinos. In July, 2006, the same gap was just 21 percentage points – whereas back in 1999, it had been 33 percentage points. ... FULL TEXT: http: (pdf)

ElecCollBy B terly, December 2007

he permanent campaign for the presidency by systematically examining presidential travel from 1977 through 2004. [The author] finds that

over he notion that the permanent campaign is on the rise. However, substantial differences

breadth of presidential travel and

tions: The Politics of the Permanent Campaign: Presidential Travel and the Electoral ege, 1977-2004 rendan J. Doherty, Presidential Studies Quar"This article undertakes an empirical assessment of a key element of t

presidential travel does target large, competitive states, and that such strategic targeting has increasedtime, supporting tbetween reelection and other years, as well as measures of the proportional attention to the states, indicate that electoral concerns do not thoroughly permeate patterns of presidential activity throughout a president's years in office, as the logic of the permanent campaign would suggest." FULL TEXT: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1741-5705.2007.02623.x (pdf)

dbye to All That ndrew Sullivan, Atlantic Monthly, December 2007 "In politic

GooBy A

s, timing matters. And the most persuasive case for Obama has less to do with him than with the of

events, from one traumatizing war in Southeast Asia to another in the most fractious country in the Middle andidacy in this sense is a potentially transformational one. Unlike any of the other

moment he is meeting. The moment has been a long time coming, and it is the result of a confluence

East. [...] Obama’s c

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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candidates, he could take America—finally—past the debilitating, self-perpetuating family quarrel of the Baby Boom generation that has long engulfed all of us." FULL TEXT: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200712/obama

cher and Apprentice arc Ambinder, Atlantic Monthly, December 2007

"Hillary Clinton tried to teach Barack Obama about pow

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er, but then he got ideas of his own." The article and Barack Obama

before and after each made the decision to run for office in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. The author ht Clinton out early in his career in the Senate, and that his aides often looked to

ates are discussed, and their campaign strategies are

discusses the political relationship between U.S. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton

reports that Obama soughers for advice. Similarities between the two candidcontrasted. FULL TEXT: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200712/clinton-obama

Election: One Year Out arlyn Bowman, The American, November/December 2007 "Americans c

TheBy K

omplain that our presidential campaigns are too long and too expensive, but we take elections Americans will choose their

president freely for the 56th consecutive time, a record unbroken in any other democracy." erican.com/archive/2007/november-december-magazine-

seriously and believe in the importance of voting. On Election Day 2008,

FULL TEXT: http://www.amcontents/the-election-one-year-out

TheSouBy L

ill be the first presidential “Internet election,” an historical phenomenon in which the Internet and its technologies are playing integral roles for candidates and their

f of the 17 presidential candidates, as well as mainstream media sites, blogs, and aggregator tools, and

This is a key reference tool for anyone

51st State: The State of Online. The Presidential Campaign 2008 – Candidates and News rces aura Gordon-Murnane, Searcher, November/December 2007 “The presidential election of 2008 w

campaigns, the mainstream media, and voters and citizens.” Five extensive tables look at the Web sites oeach show just how much the Internet is impacting the 2008 election. following the election. FULL TEXT: http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/nov07/Gordon-Murnane_51stState.pdf (pdf)

ing Mitt Romney en Silverstein, Harper's Magazine, November 2007 "Much of that money paid for t

MakBy K

he creation and placement of TV ads through Romney's media consultant

voter mobilization. […] By all accounts, Mitt Romney is smart and pragmatic-not at all as vacuous, that is, to sound. The irony is that in attempting to market him to the Republican base, his

te is not where it needs to be for us to succeed,' his

and chief strategist, Alex Castellanos, but the campaign also spent heavily on polling, political strategy, and

as he has been made handlers have created a thorough phony. The 'electoracampaign PowerPoint had concluded; hence, the strategy has been to move Romney where he needs to be to succeed. It remains to be seen how well this will play in South Carolina.” FULL TEXT: http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/11/0081773

National Security Election urt M. Campbell and Derek Chollet, The Washington Quarterly, Winter 2007/08 Some broad areas of philosophical convergence on foreign policy and natio

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nal security issues have been return to the broad and traditional

contours of international engagement in U.S. foreign policy. om/08winter/docs/08winter_campbell.pdf

articulated in campaign rhetoric from both parties to allow hope for a

FULL TEXT: http://www.twq.c (pdf)

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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A YClinSurvey Report, The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, released October 31, 2007

ecidedly favor the Democrats. Discontent with the state of the nation is markedly greater than it was four years ago. President Bush's approval rating has fallen from 50% to 30% over this period. And the Democrats' advantage over

eater than it was four years ago, but is the

rty as

s/display.php3?ReportID=366

ear Ahead, Republicans Face Tough Political Terrain ton Propelled by Support from Young Women in '08 Test

A year before the 2008 presidential election, most major national opinion trends d

the Republicans on party affiliation is not only substantially grhighest recorded during the past two decades. The public continues to express more confidence in the Democratic Party than in the Republican Pabeing able to bring about needed change, to govern in an honest and ethical way and to manage the federal government. The Democratic Party's advantages on these traits are much wider than during the last presidential campaign. Moreover, they remain about as large as they were just prior to the 2006 midterm election, in spite of rising public discontent with the Democrat-led Congress. ... FULL TEXT: http://people-press.org/report

TheCamProjGov

ostly five candidates and offered Americans relatively little information about their records or what they would do if elected.”

on. Senator John McCain has received the most negative coverage. The tone for the two front

itive. he%20Early%20Campaign%20FINAL_0.pdf

Invisible Primary - Invisible No Longer. A First Look at Coverage of the 2008 Presidential paign

ect for Excellence in Journalism and the Joan Shorenstein Center, John F. Kennedy School of ernment, Harvard University, October 29, 2007 In the 2008 presidential campaign, the media has “already winnowed the race to m

Democrat Barack Obama has received the most positive treatment, followed closely by Republican FredThompsrunners, Senator Hillary Clinton and former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, has been more negative than posFULL TEXT: http://www.journalism.org/files/T (pdf)

HasBy T

the caucuses violate the Constitution—they are run by the parties, not the states, and do not violate voting e

of the right, equality of

America Outgrown the Caucus? Some Thoughts on Reshaping the Nomination Contest ova Andrea Wang, TCF Issue Brief, Century Foundation, October 23, 2007 Pointing to the Iowa caucus, the author argues that “[c]aucuses, as opposed to primaries, by their very structure violate fundamental principles of voting rights. Their time-consuming, inflexible, Byzantine procedures discourage broad participation, presenting substantial barriers to the right to vote. It is not that

rights as a matter of law. Rather, because of their exclusionary nature, they go against some of the corvalues we express when we talk about voting rights, such as the fundamental natureopportunity to participate in the process, and fair access to the ballot.” FULL TEXT: http://www.tcf.org/publications/electionreform/caucusbrief.pdf (pdf)

r Unapparent arl M. Cannon, National Journal, September 29, 2007 The 2008 presidential campaign, the first in more than half a century without a sitting president or vice president in the running, is a wide-open affair. The lack of an heir ap

HeiBy C

parent is shaping the campaign in

ut

40s-at most 46 percent, but perhaps a bit lower. "Can Hillary Clinton win?" That is one of the most common questions in American politics these days, except

"There is no way Hillary Clinton can win."

significant ways -- and could determine its outcome. Don't Count Her OBy Charlie Cook, National Journal, September 22, 2007

Four of the five times since World War II that a party has had a chance to win three consecutive presidential races, "time for a change" sentiment prevented it. Data and common sense suggest that Hillary Clinton has a hard-core level of opposition in the mid-

among people who flatly declare,

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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ClinVoteSurv

g candidates are beginning to come into focus for voters. Views of Hillary Clinton are more sharply drawn than those of other leading candidates in either political

say Clinton is the Democratic ey hear the word tough and more than half (52%) associate

in

gh and smart are mentioned. But just 39% say Giuliani is the candidate who

ton Seen as 'Tough' and 'Smart' - Giuliani as 'Energetic' r Impressions of Leading Candidates ey Report, The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, released September 20, 2007 The public is no more engaged by the presidential campaign than it was in the spring, and the candidates' images remain somewhat blurry. But the personal strengths of several leadin

party. As many as 67% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voterscandidate who first comes to mind when thClinton with the word smart. No other candidate – Democrat or Republican – comes close to Clintonbeing linked with each of these traits. Pluralities of Republican and Republican-leaning voters say Rudy Giuliani is the GOP candidate who comes to mind when the words toucomes to mind when tough is raised, and 29% link him, more than other leading GOP candidates, with the word smart. ... FULL TEXT: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=356

Latest News Headlines – Your V The ote Counts Proj

—and measures of user activity on mainstream news sites -- are any indication, the y different and perhaps

controversial list of sources, according to a new study. The report, released by the Project for Excellence in ainstream media for one week with the news agenda

ect for Excellence in Journalism, September 12, 2007 "If someday we have a world without journalists, or at least without editors, what would the news agenda look like? How would citizens make up a front page differently than professional news people? If a new crop of user-news sitesnews agenda will be more diverse, more transitory, and often draw on a ver

Journalism (PEJ), compared the news agenda of the mfound on a host of user-news sites for the same period." FULL TEXT: http://www.journalism.org/files/usernewspdf_0.pdf (pdf)

th Vote 2008 risten Oshyn and Tova Andrea Wang, Issue Brief, The Century Foundation, September 7, 2007 Election 2008 has the potential to be momentous for the youth vote. Young voters have turned out in consistently higher numbers for the past two election cycles, and speculation says that this trend will continue with a possible push even higher. Studies poin

YouBy K

t out that voting is habit forming, with the odds ndicating long-term impacts

on parties and politics.1 Although young adults are still behind older counterparts when it comes to voter ports describe a young generation that is increasingly engaged in the electoral process and

increasing significantly that, once a person has voted, he or she will vote again, i

turnout, recent reone that is planning on sticking around. … FULL TEXT: http://www.tcf.org/publications/electionreform/youthvote.pdf (pdf)

Americans Just Fed Up with Both Parties? harles E. Cook Jr., Washington Quarterly, Fall 2007 There are two distinct schools of thought about the 2008 elections: that the Republican brand has been badly tarnished and that the public mood to

Are By C

ward politics in general is just ugly. Which one is right? FULL TEXT: http://www.twq.com/07autumn/docs/07autumn_cook.pdf (pdf)

The YouTube Election By James Wolcott, Vanity Fair, June 2007

The "Vote Different" anti-Hillary ad, Newt Gingrich's Spanish apology, Mitt Romney's trail of flip-flops—

0706

this is the mouse-click mayhem of the 2008 campaign, in which anyone can join. It's the end of the old-fashioned, literary presidential epic, and the dawn of YouTube politics. FULL TEXT: http://www.vanityfair.com/ontheweb/features/2007/06/wolcott20

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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Electing the President. Will the Early Start Be Good for the Campaign? 7

an a year away, the campaign for the White House is well under

to Feb. 5, nine months before the ublic support

ke and increases instead of f campaign fundraising. In both parties, the contests for the nomination appear

UUSS • E

h

CQ Researcher, April 20, 200With the presidential election still more thway with 15 declared candidates and a dozen other potential contenders. The early start is due in part to the so-called “front-loading” of party primaries and caucuses in early 2008 — dramatized by California's decision to move the presidential primary in the nation's biggest stateNov. 4 balloting. With more states voting earlier, candidates have to move sooner to gain pand raise funds. Critics fear the longer schedule tires candidates and voters alidecreases the importance owide open at this early stage. But with Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama leading the Democratic field, the race inevitably poses the question of whether voters are ready to elect a woman or an African-American to the nation's highest office.

EEFFUULL LLIINNKKSS

lections … the American Way - The Library of Congress ttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/features/election/home.html

• 2008 Presidential Election – U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

ves.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2008/http://www.archi

Presidency 2008 - Politics1 •

http://www.politics1.com/p2008.htm Presidential Election - Project Vote Smart •

http://www.vote-smart.org/election_president.php electionline.org •

http://www.electionline.org/ The Green Papers •

http://www.thegreenpapers.com •

onatlas.org/Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections http://www.uselecti

• The Race for the White House

ction/P2008.htmlDemocracy in Action: P2008 - http://www.gwu.edu/~a

http://www.cookpolitical.com/

• The Cook Political Report

http://www.lwv.org

• League of Women Voters

FairVote – The Center for Voting and Dem• ocracy http://www.fairvote.org/

“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center

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“Understanding the American Presidential Selection Process,” January 25, 2008 Program brief by the American Reference Center