Horsham Township Library HTL Homepage » Fact Bytes » 2006 Election	Fact Byte Research
"Fact Bytes" are handy reference guides about timely, useful subjects. Each "Fact Byte" lists publications, websites, and organizations that can give you authoritative information. Topic: the 2006 General Election

Publications

Books:

call number: YA 324.72 KLEE. Volunteering for a political Campaign by Sheila Klee.

call number: YA 361.3 KIELBURGER. Take Action: a Guide to Active Citizenship by Marc and Craig Kielburger.

call number: 172.4 IGNATIEFF. The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror by Michael Ignatieff.

Websites & Electronic Resources

Votes PA: The Pennsylvania Department of State has created a website called http://votespa.com/. This site has information about the upcoming election. In particular, voters can get assistance in learning how to use the voting machines in their area, can download registration and absentee ballot applications, and can find out about registration deadlines, voting for the first time, and other useful information.

IssuesPA: An initiative of the Pennsylvania Economy League, supported by grant funds from the Pew Charitable Trusts and the William Penn Foundation. It seeks to present credible, current, non-partisan information about the 2006 Pennsylvania Governor's race and features polls and questionnaires, candidates' position statements, in-depth analysis, podcasts, and voter information.

Project Vote Smart: provides a comprehensive database about thousands of candidates and elected officials for President, Congress, Governors and State Legislators. Project Vote Smart covers candidates and elected officials in these basic categories: 1) background and contact information; 2) issue positions; 3) voting record; 4) campaign finances; and 5) interest group ratings by over 100 groups across the ideological spectrum.

Don't Vote: a voter education website sponsored by AARP, the American Association for Retired Persons, which encourages voters not to vote until they know where candidates stand on the issues.

Annenberg Political Fact Check: a nonpartisan, nonprofit, "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce deception and confusion in U.S. politics by monitoring the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.

DemocracyNet. This project of the League of Women Voters Education Fund is an interactive website designed to improve the quality and quantity of voter information and to create a more educated and involved electorate. At this website, candidates enter their own statements and positions on issues (issues they choose) without any outside editing.

Rock the Vote: Rock the Vote is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, founded in 1990. It engages youth in the political process by incorporating the entertainment community and youth culture into its activities. The goal of Rock the Vote’s media campaigns and street team activities is to increase youth voter turnout.

Women Matter: a non partisan, web-centric, non-profit, organization whose goal is to empower women by helping them become part of the political process. WomenMatter serves as a political mentor site, offering important information and a female place for women to think through the issues together so they can collectively change the face of politics in America.

Girls Matter: an unprecedented initiative aimed at engaging girls and young women in the political process from an early age. The ultimate goal for GirlsMatter is to enable school age young women to grow into active political participants. Affiliated with Women Matter (above).

Federal Voting Assistance Program: provides U.S. citizens worldwide a broad range of non-partisan information and assistance to enable them to register and vote by absentee ballot - regardless of where they work or live. Geared especially for armed forces personnel and their families, merchant mariners, and Federal employees posted in overseas locations.

On the Issues: "Every Political leader on every issue." This not-for-profit organization gathers information daily from newspapers, speeches, press releases, and the Internet. It documents the positions espoused by major and minor candidates on a wide range of issues.

Public Agenda. Founded by social scientist and author Daniel Yankelovich and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in 1975, Public Agenda's two-fold mission is to help: 1) American leaders better understand the public's point of view, and 2) Citizens know more about critical policy issues so they can make thoughtful, informed decisions.

Ron Gunzburger's Politics1.Com. Founded in 1997, Politics1 is published as a non-partisan public service to promote fully informed decision-making by the American electorate. Ron Gunzburger is an attorney, journalist, businessman, civil servant, and owner of the sole-proprietorship that is Politics1.

The Green papers: a non-partisan web site dedicated to the dissemination of facts, figures, tidbits and commentary on the election campaigns leading ultimately to the General Election.

PollingReport.Com: presents data from national probability-sample surveys of the American public, updated whenever new polls are released.

Opensecrets.org: "Your Guide to the Money in U.S. Elections." This website is sponsored by the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy.

Election Statistics from the Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives. Since 1920, the Clerk of the House has collected and published the official vote counts for federal elections from the official sources among the various states and territories.

Organizations

Federal Election Commission: an independent regulatory agency whose mission is to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act (such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions), and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections.

address: 999 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20463.
Tel: (800) 424-9530; For the hearing impaired, TTY (202) 219-3336.

Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation, Pennsylvania Department of State: oversees the Commonwealth’s electoral process as well as Campaign Finance, Voter Registration, Office of Notary Public, Commissions and Legislation.

address: 210 N. Office Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120.
Tel: (717) 787-5280. Email: BCEL email; Voter Registration email.

Montgomery County Voter Services Office: the office that handles voter registration, electronic voting machine storage and maintenance, and setting up elections (including creating ballots, coordinating the tabulation of results, certifying results, and managing political campaign expense reports).

address: One Montgomery Plaza, Norristown, PA 19401.
Tel: Voter Registration (610) 278-3280, Election Board (610) 278-3275.

Commission on Presidential Debates was established in 1987. Its primary purpose is to sponsor and produce debates for the United States leading presidential and vice presidential candidates and to undertake research and educational activities relating to the debates.

address: 1200 New Hampshire, N.W., Box 445, Washington, DC 20036.

The League of Women Voters: a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

address: 1730 M Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036-4508.
Tel: (202) 429-1965; Fax: (202) 429-0854. Email: lwv@lwv.org.