United States Elections
See also: U.S. Government Information | Organizations, Think Tanks, and Policy Information | American Politics
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Candidate and election information
FactCheck.org
A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, this site serves as a consumer advocate to reduce the level of deception in U.S. politics by monitoring the factual accuracy of the US political scene.
League of Woman Voters
Provides non-partisan, issue-based information on national candidates, as well as information about the US electoral system, primaries, how to register to vote, get an absentee ballot, finding your polling place, and more. The New York State League provides a Voting Q&A for College Students in NYS,
along with ballot information, polling place sites and more.
Project Vote Smart
Information source for issue statements, financial disclosures, and voting records for Congressional and Presidential candidates.
Guide to American Political Parties (Politics 1)
Site listing major and fringe parties in the U.S. Political process. The strength lies with the depth of the list and the links, the descriptions are not necessarily neutral.
Electoral process, data and finances
Federal Election Commission
Provides financial filings, election laws and updates on Congressional elections.
Election Process (Ben's Guide to U.S. Government)
A comprehensive, yet easy to read explaination of the U.S. electoral process for national office.
GreenPapers
Pprovides election and voting relating news, such as voting returns, information and commentary on the electoral college and federal representation, and links to related sites. Information on elections dates back to 2000.
Initiative and Referendum Institute
(University of South Carolina)
Studies the abilities of a US citizen to be able to directly place issues on a ballot. The BallotWatch page tracks initiates that have been placed on ballots using initative or referendum procedures by state.
FairVote.org
Information on issues relating to voting in the U.S. such as redistricting, gerrymandering, election reform, and voter turnout.
Opensecrets.org (Center for Responsive Poilitcs)
Center for Responsive Politics. Tracks the political money to make a direct link from campaign donations to votes and public policy decisions of elected officials.
Campaign Finance Institute
Non-partisian organization that studies campgain finance, issues reports, and makes recommendations. Includes the Commons, where researchers can post download data, papers, and studies for free.
Congressional Universe ![]()
Search under "Members & Committees" > "Members Records" to find voting records, financial disclosures, campaign contributions and campaign finance reports. Most data sets will cover 1989-present.
Voting Data
Voting and Registration (U.S. Census Bureau)
A summary, with links, of the various data sets and reports that tracks various socio-economic and demographic trends among voters for national elections.
Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
Presidential election data, starting in 1789.
ICSPR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) ![]()
Contains large data sets covering voting patterns and voting turnout.
Voting America (University of Richmond)
Offers visual maps that reflect election results, from 1980 forward.
Reference materials
- Election databook (Bartle Reference JK524 .E43 1992) - Statistical snapshots of presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial elections
- America at the polls: a handbook of American presidential election statistics:
1920-1964 (Bartle Reference JK 524 .G6)
1960-2004 (Bartle Reference JK 524 .M33 2005)
- America at the polls 2: a handbook of American presidential election statistics: 1968-1984 (Bartle Reference JK 522 .S22 1988)
- Source book of American presidential campaign and election statistics: 1948-1968 (Bartle Reference JK 524 .R83)
- National atlas of the United States of America. Presidential elections, 1789-2000 (Science Library Map Room G3701.F9 2000 .G4)
- The Routledge historical atlas of presidential elections (Bartle Library Reference (Atlases) G1201.S1 M5 2001)
Local elections
Mayoral Elections (U.S. Conference of Mayors)
A database of mayoral elections across the U.S., back to 1999.
NYS Board of Elections
You can register to vote, and get an absentee ballot on their Voter's Education web site, or find your County Board of Elections. Also provides some data on voter enrollment, turnout, election results, and candidate information.
State Election Boards (LLRX)
Directory to every state-level election board.
Broome County Board of Elections
Provides information on polling places, district maps, important dates, and data dating back to 2005 for voter turnout by district and registration rates.
State and Local Government on the Net
Directory to official state and local government web pages.
