Useful Web Links to...
National, State, & Local Politics,
Election Information, and Media Resources...
(Information compiled by Sandy Diamond, M.Ed., Director, Kids Voting Missouri---
a Citizenship Education program of the University of Missouri-St. Louis)

(Note: For Links To the Missouri Secretary of State's web site, Media Sites, & Local Election Boards, Scroll to the Bottom of Page)

Vote411 www.vote411.org Created by the League of Women Voters Education Fund, this web site provides the most comprehensive, non-partisan, unbiased election information on the web. If you're looking for state-by-state election information, a simple way to register to vote on-line, how to find your specific polling place, information about the candidates or ballot, then Vote411.org is the site for you.

FACTCHECK www.factcheck.org A terrific site that monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.  Want to check out whether the political ads are true, then check out factcheck.org

AMERICA'S VOTING PATCHWORK http://americanhistory.si.edu/vote/patchwork.html
From wooden boxes with marbles, to paper ballots with hanging chads, to electronic equipment, this is a great web site to compare/contrast the voting tools Americans have used throughout the years.

Can I Vote www.canivote.org Looking for information on Voter Registration or even whether you are a Registered Voter--check out this great web page brought to you by the National Association of Secretaries of States http://www.nass.org/. Provides voting information on all 50 states.

C-Span www.c-span.org/ C-span provides indepth coverage of a variety of public affairs events and is an excellent resource for state and national campaigns. The "Classroom" section has great resources for teachers on civics and United States Government.

Cagle Cartoons www.caglecartoons.com feature some of the best political (editorial) cartoons out there. Allows you to search by topic. Excellent resource for educators!

Election Assistance Commission http://www.eac.gov/ The EAC was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). Central to its role, the Commission serves as a national clearinghouse and resource for information and review of procedures with respect to the administration of Federal elections.

Electionline www.electionline.org...electionline.org is a project of the Pew Center on the States and is the ONLY non-partisan, non-advocacy website providing up-to-the minute news and analysis on election information and reform. Established by Pew after the 2000 Election, electionline has become the leading source for jounalists, policymakers, elections officials, educators, and concerned citizens to learn about, discuss, and debate election issues.

Federal Election Commission www.fec.gov The FEC monitors candidates for federal office for compliance with campaign spending laws, so this site includes data on campaign expenditures. The site also features a great deal of useful information on voter turnout (state, national, and international), past presidential and congressional election results, and voter registration requirements by state.

Gallup Poll http://poll.gallup.com/ A tremendous resource for researching issues; provides the viewer with polling information on a variety of topics from A-Z.

IFES www.ifes.org : IFES originally stood for the International Foundation for Election Systems but now just uses the accronym IFES. It is an international non-governmental organization that supports the building of democratic societies and is an excellent resource for comparing/contrasting elections around the world.

Information on Congress http://thomas.loc.gov The THOMAS site is a terrific resource for finding information about Congress. THOMAS was launched in January of 1995, at the inception of the 104th Congress. The leadership of the 104th Congress directed the Library of Congress to make federal legislative information freely available to the public. Resources for teachers are available.

International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) www.idea.int/ is an intergovernmental organization that promotes sustainable democracy worldwide.

Kids Voting USA www.kidsvotingusa.org The national Kids Voting web site provides current research information and the lastest happenings on Kids Voting affiliates across the country under "Newsroom." The "Student Hangout" section includes information about contests and provides an opportunity for young people to give input. The "In the Classroom" section provides participating Kids Voting teachers links to the new Kids Voting Citizenship lessons. Teachers must have an ID and password to access the lessons, which can be obtained from the Kids Voting Director of each affiliate or state organization.

National Association of Counties http://www.naco.org/Excellent resource for information about counties including the history of county government, basic forms of county government, locating couties, and other data and demographic information.

National Association of Secretary of States http://www.nass.org/ Wonderful resource on election information in general and for all the states.

National Conference of State Legislators www.ncsl.org/ The web site of National Conference of State Legislatures provides excellent nationwide coverage of gubernatorial and state legislative races and ballot issues.

On the Issues www.ontheissues.org/default.htm Excellent web page that provides a breakdown on every state & federal political leader and his/her view on most issues. Provided for all U.S. states. Also highlights the candidates running for President in 2012 and their stand on most campaign issues.

Project Vote Smart www.vote-smart.org This site supplies an unbiased, impressive array of information on over 40,000 candidates and officials. If you're looking for biographical, interest group ratings, public statements, voting records, stands on issues, or info on campaign financing, then you'll want to check this site out.

Political Cartoons www.politicalcartoons.com For those who wish to view politics through the eyes of cartoonists, this is an excellent site to visit.

The Polling Report http://www.pollingreport.com/Want to see who's leading in the polls, then go to the Polling Report. This site provides nonpartisan voter information on candidates at the federal and state levels. It covers candidates backgrounds, issue positions, voting records, and campaign finances. You'll also find voter registration information (how to, election dates, local election office phone numbers, etc.)

Rock the Vote http://www.rockthevote.com/ Provides excellent information about why individuals (especially the 18-24 year age group) should register and vote. Also great resource for educators as it provides comparative voter registration information on the states.   

The White House www.whitehouse.gov For general information on the federal government, the White House's web site is an excellent resource.

270 to Win: www.270towin.com It takes 270 Electoral Votes to win the Presidential Election. This excellent web site allows students a chance to follow the road to the White House,via each state's electoral vote. Wondeful, colorful maps and historical information on past elections.

USElection Atlas: http://www.uselectionatlas.org/ Dave Leip's Atlas of Presidential Elections is a terrific web site to compare and contrast past Presidential elections. It provides users with an opportunity to research all Presidential elections in U.S. History. Data is collected from many official sources and presented in the "Atlas" in one convenient location.

MISSOURI STATE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

Missouri State Government http://www.mo.gov/ This site provides access to the Governor's web page and web sites of other statewide elected officials (Attorney General, Auditor, Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer) and executive departments, the judicial branch's web site http://www.courts.mo.gov/ and the General Assembly's web page http://www.moga.mo.gov/. The General Assembly site provides biographies of current members, their addresses and e-mail listings, information on pending legislation, and on-line access to the state constitution and state laws.

Missouri Secretary of State www.sos.mo.gov/ For statewide election coverage, this is a "must see" web page. Under "Elections," it provides information on how to register and vote in Missouri, the official listing of candidates and ballot issues for Missouri, the latest voter information, including the new photo ID required for voting, election results and voter statistics, and information on the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Also included under elections is information on how to become a Poll Worker.

Vote Missouri-The Missouri Voting Rights Center  www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/Default.aspx
Vote Missouri is a collaborative effort by the Secretary of State's Office to encourage Missourians to register, vote, and share their stories. This web page is designed to assist qualifified Missourians learn out their right to vote and information on how to register to vote. Information is also available for those in the military that which to vote and an Election Calendar.

The Missouri Bar www.mobar.org The Missouri Bar provides extensive support for classroom learning about the law, the legal system, and the courts. From lesson plans to teacher workshops to a video lending library, The Missouri Bar is committed to helping teachers throughout Missouri understand and explain the law. For information contact Millie Aulbur, Law-Related Director at milliea@mobar.org.

MEDIA RESOURCES

Additional indepth daily news information about elections can be found as follows:

CBS Political News On-line (http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/politics/main250.shtml?tag=hdr;cnav)

Politico--(www.politico.com/) 
Covers news with a focus on national politics, Congress, Capitol Hill, the 2012 presidential race, lobbying, advocacy, and more.

St. Louis Beacon (http://stlbeacon.org/)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (www.stltoday.com/)

Springfield News-Leader (www.news-leader.com)

St. Joseph News Press (http://www.stjoenews-press.com/)

Kansas City Star or on-line (www.kcstar.com)

Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/)

New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/)

MISSOURI AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT

A number of Missouri counties and cities have web pages. Of special relevance to Kids Voting are the pages of counties and major cities with Kids Voting school districts: