United States Election Information (November 4th)
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Election Information for US Citizens
Your Vote Counts!
Yes, your vote counts. It may seem inconsequential, but it does matter. It matters to our country.
Even more so, it should also matter to you, on the deepest level. Not because the candidate is your age, gender, or color, or that they dress well.
But because they represent your values, hopes, and ideas. The candidate should be someone that you believe will do the best job and lead the country in the best direction.
Contents
- Your Vote Counts!
- How the Electoral College Works
- The Election Process In America
- 2008: An Election of Firsts
- Seats that are Up for Grabs in 2008
- Debunking Election Myths and Lies
- A Sample Ballot
- Registering to Vote
- Where to Vote Links - Listings by State
- Can You Vote Early?
- Early Voting
- Living Abroad?
- No-Excuse Absentee Voting
- Helpful Links for Election Information
- Election for Kids
- Helpful Books on the Subject
- Why Tuesday?
- Your thoughts...
November 4th
To see a list of candidate stances on many of these issues, please take a look at this page on the Vote Issues 08 website.
How the Electoral College Works
The Democracy Conservator Foundation was founded in late 2007 by Arthur F. Woodrow, a veteran of World War II who is dedicated to restoring our democratic process. DCF is a not-for-profit, apolitical organization seeking to increase the involvement of U.S. citizens in the political process and to encourage the discussion and debate of issues our society faces today. With the Republican and Democratic National Conventions behind us, and the 2008 presidential election coming soon, it is more important than ever to make sure citizens vote smartly.
The Election Process In America
Just The Facts: The Election Process In America
Amazon Price: $7.50 (as of 02/15/2012)
2008: An Election of Firsts
The 2008 election is particularly unusual because it is the first time in U.S. history that two active senators will run against each other for president.It is also the first time that a man of African American descent is a presidential nominee for a major party.
There is a good possibility that a woman will be Vice President (if McCain wins the election).
Lastly, it is the first time both major candidates were born outside the continental United States - Hawaii for Obama and the Panama Canal Zone for McCain.
Seats that are Up for Grabs in 2008
Thirty-three seats are regular elections; the winners will be eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 2009 to January 3, 2015 as members of the United States Senate. There are also two special elections to the United States Senate: one in United States Senate elections in Wyoming and another in Mississippi. The winners will serve the remainder of terms that expire on January 3, 2013.
Senate seats up for election:
__Two Republican incumbents
__Republican incumbent
__Retiring Republican
__Democratic incumbent
__No election
Washington Post Issue Tracker
Debunking Election Myths and Lies
Unfortunately, there are a lot of misinformation, manipulation, and outright lies that are spread just before the elections. Often this misinformation is meant to discourage voting by certain people. It could be a joke or a flagrant attempt to change the vote.
Myth - You will be arrested at the Polling Station if you have a warrant or traffic violations. If anything, the people that are purposely spreading this "myth" should be arrested.
The Truth - You will NOT be arrested.
Myth - You cannot vote if your legal residence is out of state.
The Truth - Yes, you can vote. You will likely need to vote via an absentee ballot, but you should contact the polling station for further information.
Myth - The date of election has been changed to November 5th, or Wednesday.
The Truth - There are reports that flyers and emails are being spread around with this information. That is completely false. The last date to vote is November 4th, on Tuesday. Do not wait!
Myth - "after you vote for Obama, you need to vote a 'straight Democratic ticket' or your vote for president won't count."
The Truth - You can vote for whomever you like and it will not discount any of your other votes.
Myth - "If your address on your driver license does not match the address where you currently live, you will be turned away from the precinct on Election Day and will not be allowed to vote".
The Truth - If your driver license address and your home address on the voter rolls don't match, you can still vote. However, to speed up the voting process, you should correct it before going to vote.
Myth - "My house is in foreclosure and so I cannot vote."
The Truth - No, you can and should vote.
If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to study a sample ballot and/or contact a poll worker. Also, if you believe you have spoiled your ballot, contact a poll worker immediately to find out how to correct the situation.
A Sample Ballot
Registering to Vote
* Be a citizen of the United States
* Be at least 18 years old within 90 days of this registration
* Not be a convicted felon (unless unconditionally discharged)
Visit the US government state by state registration information page by clicking here.
Countdown to Time to Vote
Where to Vote Links - Listings by State
- VOTE411.org
- Nationwide - Find your polling place.
- Alaska Elections
- The official website of the Alaska Division of Election. Election returns, voting information and polling place information on-line.
- California - Los Angeles Polling Place Locator
- LA County, California
- California - Elections & Voter Information
- Find Your Polling Place in California.
- Delaware Polling Place Locator
- Polling Place Locator provided by State of Delaware Commissioner of Elections.
- Georgia - Secretary of State Poll Locator
- Find Your Polling Place and Elected Officials for Georgia.
- Florida - Find your elections by map
- Florida polling places.
- Idaho Polling Place Finder
- Idaho polling places.
- Illinois Voting Information
- Where to register and vote in Illinois.
- Indiana - Where to Vote
- Where to vote in Indiana.
- Iowa Find Your Polling Place
- Find Your Polling Place in Iowa.
- Vote KS - Guide to voting in Kansas
- Guide to voting in Kansas.
- Kentucky: Voter Information Center
- Kentucky's site for Voter Information
- Maine.gov: Find Your Elected Officials
- Maine voter lookup.
- Michigan - Web Voter Information Center
- Michigan Search for Voter Information by Name site.
- Minnesota Polling Place Finder
- Your Polling Place (where you vote, map & directions)Districts for your precinct (including maps) for Minnesota.
- Nebraska VoterCheck System
- Nebraska polling place finder.
- New Jersey Poll Place Search
- New Jersey polling place finder.
- Ohio - ElectionOhio
- To access the Board of Elections Web site of a participating Election Ohio county, click on any of the counties shaded in blue on the map of Ohio.
- Pennsylvania Polling Places
- Pennsylvania polling place finder.
- South Carolina Precinct Information
- Precinct Information in South Carolina.
- Texas Election Duties
- Search for your county to find your Texas polling location.
Can You Vote Early?
And it has nothing to do with the old saying "vote early, vote often" either.
You will need to check with your state to understand if you qualify and the process required to vote early.
Generally, these are the requirements:
* going to be away from your county on Election Day and during early voting;
* sick or disabled;
* 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
* confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
You can visit this site to get state by state information for early voting.
Early Voting
Listing of States
The following states permit no excuse, in-person early voting at election offices and, in some states, other satellite locations.
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maine
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Living Abroad?
Of course, you knew that already.
Visit Votefromabroad.org to register. It appears to be a very easy process.
No-Excuse Absentee Voting
The following states permit any registered voter to vote by absentee ballot. Voters are not required to state their reason or excuse for voting by absentee ballot.
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon (Oregon conducts all elections solely by mail ballot)
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Helpful Links for Election Information
- Federal Election Commission Home Page
- 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.
- Election Center 2008 - Election & Politics News from CNN.com
- Latest headlines and video, candidates' positions on the issues, fundraising totals, States to Watch news and analysis, and a unique side-by-side visual comparison of the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates.
- Electoral-vote.com: President, Senate, House Updated Daily
- Track the election with a red/blue map of the US updated daily using the latest state polls.
- Election 2008 : NPR
- In-depth coverage of the 2008 presidential election, Democratic and Republican candidates, and primary elections and caucuses. Listen to audio and video reports from the campaign trail. Interactive features include a primary calendar and an interactive election map.
- 2008 Presidential Election
- Full news coverage and opinions on the 2008 presidential election. Find photos, audio, video, and related sites about the 2008 election on Yahoo! on Yahoo! News
- Elections 2008
- From the University of Michigan.
- The PEW Center on the States
- The Pew Charitable Trusts applies the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Pew's Center on the States identifies and advances state policy solutions.
- Campaign Contributions
- Look up the campaign contributions for various politicians, as well as by zip code, state, and much more.
Election for Kids
- Ben's Guide to the Election Process for Kids
- A US government site that explains the election process and history.
- Scholastic News Online: Election 2008
- Read our extended news reports of the Election 2008 campaign. This special report include stories, activities, background information and more.
- Involving Kids in the Election Process
- Not sure how to involve your kids in the election? Find out how to help children learn that participation counts by recognizing opportunities to talk about what it means to live in a democracy, how to be a responsible citizen, and which issues are most important to your family.
- By the People: Election For Kids, Parent and Teachers
- Lesson plans listing by grade level and topic. This is via the Public Broadcasting System (PBS).
- Vote: The Machinery of Democracy
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History Behring Center
It looks at the history of voting methods in the United States, which are as varied as the individual states and their local election districts.
Mayfair Games Road to the White House Board Game
Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 02/15/2012)
From Kaplan Early Learning Company
Recommended Age: 6 - 9 years
Classroom Election Kit
Amazon Price: $39.95 (as of 02/15/2012)
Helpful Books on the Subject
Choosing the President 2008: A Citizen's Guide to the Electoral Process
Amazon Price: $0.01 (as of 02/15/2012)
The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies (New Edition)
Amazon Price: $13.93 (as of 02/15/2012)
The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle to Build Free Societies Throughout the World
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 02/15/2012)
"Probably the best and most comprehensive work on the state of democracies world wide.
Extremely well documented. Its only bias (if anyone would like to criticise it) is Larry Diamond forceful defense of democratic values"
Why Tuesday?
I Voted
Your thoughts...
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lakeerieartists
Nov 11, 2008 @ 8:22 am | delete
- Lots of research here clearly. Great job.
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triathlontraining
Nov 5, 2008 @ 8:20 am | delete
- Congratulations to the voters and candidates for a very momentous year! I sincerely hope it brings positive change and progress.
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AndyPo
Nov 3, 2008 @ 8:39 am | delete
- Great lens. Shame I'm not allowed to vote though. We have more coverage of the US elections here in the UK than we do about our own politics. Looking forward to tomorrow though.
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ArtByLinda Oct 30, 2008 @ 9:53 am | delete
- This page is great, I love the red, white and blue. You put together a lot of important voting information, Thanks tri! :) Linda
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Tipi
Oct 30, 2008 @ 8:10 am | in reply to poddys | delete
- He's done a another wonderful job, Poddys! We should pat Shea on the back for this one!
Pat, Pat! You're going to get famous! Not only in America...
The time to vote in the election of 2008 is getting close.
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Get out there and vote!
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