OOOOften we hear the complaint: "My vote doesn't count".
OOOOur reply, of course, is that the complaint is at once both patently untrue, and true enough to satisfy the requirements of a democracy. The fact of the matter is that anyone's vote counts as much as anyone else's; but that it counts only as much as anyone else's.
OOOWhat our fellow citizens are whining about is not that their vote doesn't count, but that it isn't decisive. Well, no one's is decisive, it isn't supposed to be. We vote not because our measely vote makes the critical difference (though local elections, and sometimes even national ones give the lie to that assumption); but because it is our responsibility as citizens to vote.
OOOSo the next time someone waves a flag in your face, for whatever reason, ask them about the last time they marked a ballot. If they sniff derisively, laugh, or simply can't remember, remind them that no flag can make a patriot of a citizen who doesn't respect their nation enough to fulfill their responsibilities toward it.
OOOOur first is simply to cast the ballot that thousands of our fellow citizens have died to guarantee not only for ourselves, but for countless peoples around the world.

The sites below explain the process of American elections.

At your official polling place, or by absentee ballot, if you qualify. Unfortunately, we have so far found no single web site providing polling locations. However, Vote America, the official web site of the National Association of Secretaries of State provides links to individual state election commissions. Most are pretty dreadful. If you can't find your polling place there, there is also the site of the National Association of State Election Directors (click on the blue map), or you can call your local county clerk.

Those below are the majors and selected minors. More can be found at the political party page on Politics1.
For the candidates, you might start by looking over our own Candidates page, which focuses on the Presidential election. Or you could start with the numerous issue guides in the section just below.
For local candidates and issues, until we build our own page, you should check your local newspapers, available at Hometown News, especially around election time when they pass out their endorsements.There are also the party pages below.

If you want the easy way out, with a few simple answers to simple questions SelectSmart will tell you who your ideal candidate is; but the emphasis is on simple.

The sites below more or less systematically explore the candidates' stand on major and minor issues of the campaign.

Ballot initiatives and referenda are issues put on a ballot, for example millage increases or changes to local ordinances, that voters may vote on directly.

Two of Annenberg's areas of study are political discourse and the media. They are very good at analysing what gets said in elections - by candidates, interests and voters - what it means and who it effects. This is a good place to find light as national elections heat up.

While ostensibly focused on reform, the site offers both election analysis and recent developments in reform and campaign regulation.

From the Columbia Journalism Review, the media watching the media watching the candidates.

Based in the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs, and funded by both the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Carnegie Foundation, CIRCLE conducts research on the civic and political participation of young Americans, including political opinions, media use and forms of political expression.

Something we've been praying for! A reputable, non-partisan organization that analyses the accuracy of politcal ads and campaign claims. From the Annenberg Center above.

The organization is exeptionally good at framing the many issues of the day, along with gathering the news and opinions behind them and collecting the facts surrounding them. This is an excellent first-stop site for understanding the issues behind the politics.

From MarketingDegree.net, a collection of articles and reports on political advertising and its effects.

Although much of the site is for subscribers, the front page carries several tables of information on the primaries such as dates, whether they are open or not, as well as demographic data for the primary and caucus states.

Read transcripts of present and historical debates - and the public reaction to them.

All the way back to 1789. Includes both national and state maps, results for all the national parties, popular and electoral votes, voter turn-out, broken down by counties or congressional districts. Very impressive.

Some statistics going back to the '50s.

C & E won't tell you where the money comes from, but being a site for campaign insiders, it might give you some impression of where it goes. In the same vein, see Political Resources On Line.

Though much of the site is available only to members, the state campaign finance search is useful.

Good source for both federal and state campign finance laws including the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and the Supreme Court's McConnell v. FEC which upheld the law.

Where it comes from and where it goes. Includes major contributers, both individual and oranizational; contributions by zip code; and a directory of political action committees.

The CPI ranges more widely than just campaign money, but what it has to say is valuable.

Tracks soft money contributions.

This is the original source for the money trail. Unfortunately, you have to perform searches, and the search options are limited. For all its consumer-friendly graphics, it really isn't.

Covers contributions by race, by contributer or by interest group. Contains both current data and archived figures. (Not much yet for the current election cycle.)

We've no idea where they get their statistics, but the presentation is interesting.

More breadcrumbs on the money trail. Very thorough on the laws and the issues.

Who gives it, who gets it, and what they do with it. Some areas are subscription only.

From Stanford University and the University of Michigan a wealth of polling information, covering public opinion and voter self-identification. See their Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior.

America's premier pollsters. Most of their content is subscription, but the news service and news releases are free and fascinating.

No mystery, really. Just Mark Blumenthal "Demystifying the Science and Art of Political Polling".

The PRC researches public opinion and attitudes on a wealth of topics.

Gathers and presents polling from the major media polling sources.

For a private polling organization, Rasmussen is surprisingly, if not uniquely, generous to the non-paying public with its results. Granted, this doesn't take much, but there's quite a bit here.

Barebones prognostications on the horserace under "2004 Election Polls".

Seeks to "strike the balance" between effective funding and maintaining the independence and integrity of elected officials.

History, Supreme Court cases, summary of bills, current structure of campaign finance reform from a conservative perspective.

Studies, analyses and the latest news on campaign finance issues.

Addresses a range of issues, but is a chief advocate of proportional representation.

Campaign finance, money and elections, the FEC and enforcement.

Liberally inclined, but geared toward voter education and election reform.

Unabashedly liberal. Dedicated to getting money out of politics.

Ostensibly practical answers to the issue of clean money and clean campaigns.

Advocates the ballot option that "the voter may vote for the line "None of the Above; For a New Election" instead of for a candidate, indicating the voter is calling for a by-election with new candidates to fill the office. If "None of the Above; For a New Election" receives the most votes, no one is elected to that office and a follow-up by-election is held. Note that even candidates running unopposed must obtain voter consent to be elected." Interesting.