Politics & Elections
Center for Public Integrity 
- 'Original investigative journalism about significant public issues to make institutional power more transparent and accountable.' Includes a special investigative report on the influence of money in politics,
The Buying of the President 2008. (A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.)
Civic Participation and Citizenship Collection - A collection of links on topics related to community action and active citizenship. (Non-profit organization: World Education, Inc.)
C-Span Capitol Spotlight - Weekly public affairs coverage from the C-Span Cable network; includes video. Also offers Political News Resources, a directory of links to 'useful newspaper political sections and independent state-based political web sites' across the U.S.; election coverage on C-Span Politics and current state-by-state
Elections Guide; a quick way to keep track of
recent Congressional votes; and an easy way to
send messages to elected officials.
C-Span provides live video coverage of U.S. Congressional proceedings, as well as a wide diversity of views and forums on public policy issues.
Congress Votes Database - Lets you browse every vote in the U.S. Congress since 1991. (Washington Post, commercial site)
Election Line - A non-partisan, non-advocacy website providing up-to-the-minute news and analysis on election issues such as accessibility, voting machines, electronic voting, voter fraud, absentee ballots, etc. (Pew Charitable Trusts).
Fact Check - Do you ever find yourself hopelessly confused by conflicting or ambiguous statements from politicians, special interest groups, and partisan commentators? Fact Check is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 'consumer advocate' for voters which monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases (Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania). See also Politifact Truth-O-Meter (St. Petersburg [FL] Times / Congressional Quarterly).
First Amendment Center - News, research, analysis, and resources related to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech, press, and religion, and freedom to assemble and petition. Includes podcasts. (Vanderbilt University). See also
Conversations on the Constitution (American Bar Association), and listen to Justice Talking `, 'a radio show about law and American life.' Justice Talking's last broadcast & podcast was June 30, 2008, but you can still listen to the archives online (NPR).
Follow the Money - Data on campaign money on state-level elections and public policy in all 50 states. (National Institute on Money in State Politics). For more details on the influence of money in politics at the state and national level, see Opensecrets.org, described below.
Global Election Tracker - Reports results of elections and public opinion polls from around the world. (Angus Reid Group, a marketing research supplier)
Grasscatcher [UPDATED LINK!] - Current news on all kinds of government policy issues, mostly at the state level, including economy, education, health care, homeland security, and the environment. You can browse by state or by subject. (National Conference of State Legislatures)
League of Women Voters NJ - Nonpartisan Guide to Government in New Jersey, including information on how to register and who is eligible, primary and election dates, communicating with elected officials, and more. See also League of Women Voters US.
Local Political Blogs - 'If all politics is local, then locally-focused blogs are obviously important to anyone engaged in politics. But since the internet doesn't come with zipcodes attached to urls, it's not obvious how to discover these nodes of conversation and community?' This 2007 page explains how to find local political blogs. (Personal Democracy Forum)
MiddleClass.org - Reports on bills that would have a significant impact (positive or negative) on the current and aspiring middle class. (Drum Major Institute for Public Policy)
Net Democracy Guide - Information to help bloggers and other citizen activists understand the new campaign finance rules for the Internet. (Center for Democracy and Technology)
New Rules Project - Reports on how citizens and communities can strengthen democracy and promote economic prosperity through locally-based initiatives in education, health, manufacturing, farming, commerce, and energy production. (Institute for Local Self-Reliance)
NJ Division of Elections - Includes an annual Elections Guide outlining the important deadlines for upcoming elections, and a variety of other resources for voters and for candidates. (State of New Jersey)
NJ.com Election News - Coverage of state and local elections in New Jersey. (Commercial site, multiple video ads).
New York Times Politics Navigator - Links to sources of political information, political parties and groups, opinion polls, candidates and more. Free registration may be required.
Opensecrets.org - Search by candidate name ('person' search) for detailed disclosure on their campaign funding (works best if you search by last name without first name); or enter a zip code, donor name, organization, keyword, or industry to retrieve a list of political contributions. You can also track contribution paybacks on key issues. Includes Capital Eye, a related online newsletter / blog which aims 'to educate its readers and encourage them to examine the role of money in the U.S. political system.' (Center for Responsive Politics)
Politico - Coverage on the politics of Capitol Hill, the presidential campaign, and the business of Washington lobbying and advocacy. (Capitol News Company, commercial site)
Polling Report - Data from a broad range of American public opinion surveys on elected officials, candidates, and current issues. (Nonpartisan, commercial site)
Project Vote Smart - This useful site provides information about candidates' voting records and positions on key issues. Also includes candidate biographies, campaign finances, special interest group ratings, and voting records, where available. Now also includes information about the Federal Court System and State Supreme Courts.
Real Clear Politics - Links to political commentary, news, and polling data from media 'on all points of the political compass and covering all the important issues of the day.' Includes video from TV news & opinion programs. Updated every morning and throughout the day (commercial site). For more links to news & political commentary, see the South Plainfield Public Library's
News / Media page.
Stateline - Research and analysis on state policy issues such as healthcare, tax and budget policy, the environment, and welfare reform. (Pew Charitable Trusts)
Volunteer Match - Resources for volunteers and community activists. See also Network for Good.
