The Political Spectrum

Hi All,

Politics is everywhere these days. It's in the news, on the internet and television.  The radio has news about politics and it changes on a daily basis!  How can you keep up with all those changes every day?   And occasionally you'll hear a pundit or an announcer or a 'talking-head' discuss the left-wing or the right-wing or a centreist....

Just what exactly do these terms mean you might ask?  Great question - and I've got a bunch of answers for you!

What we are really talking about here is the political spectrum which classifies different political positions...Wikipedia has an extensive article discussing what the various terms mean.

Click here for some information on the Left-Wing,  Click here for some information on the Right-Wing.  Click here for some information on the Center-Wing. 

Another website - called I Agree to See - has even more information on the meanings of the phrase 'political spectrum'.  

For some perspective as to what various members of the political spectrum believe in on certain issues, click on this link from People-Press.org.  The article is titled 'Beyond Red vs Blue: The Political Typology'

Finally, if you're not sure where you fall in this 'political spectrum', you can take this quiz from People-Press.org to find out where you political persuasion lies.

Enjoy the links and the lively political debates!

Regards,
Stu

Ballotpedia.org: The Encyclopedia of American Politics

Hi All,

For those folks who are interested in politics I just learned about a website called Ballotpedia.  Click here to visit the site.  Advertised at the 'Encyclopedia of American Politics' the site has links to Elections (Ballot information, Elections Results, Election Analysis), Federal and State and Local Elections. Links to policy issues, links to 'Influencer's, and a section on Updates.

Visiting the Federal Politics link leads you to a map of the United States.  This part of the site includes Special elections to the 114th Congress, House of Representatives Elections in 2016, Senate Elections and the 2016 presidential election.

Other useful parts of the site is the Ballott Measures section.   Statewide measures, local ballott measures and unique reports can be found here. For example, local ballot measures discussed include marijuana, the minimum wage, fracking, law enforcement and more.

The 'Influencers' page is very, very insightful.  It includes 'influencers' on a national, state and local level.  Influencers are also organized by 'policy' for users to navigate more easily.

Whatever your political persuasion, there is something here for everybody on the site.  Enjoy Ballotpedia - its got unique information that is well organized, easy to find and interesting to read.

Regards,
Stu

All About Voting

Hi All,

All about voting for the upcoming Presidential election!!!

Where do you vote? Click on this link from the Nassau County website.
Where do I learn about how to register to vote, change address and more.

Finally, learn more about the electoral system by clicking on this link. 

To learn more about the current Presidential election, click on this link which goes to 270 To Win...(as in 270 electoral college votes to win the election.)

270ToWin.com has lots of interactive features for the budding political scientist - you can change the map to represent if one or another candidate will win/lose a particular state...it lets you change the 'outcome' of the vote in various states to test whether or not a candidate will get the necessary 270 electoral college votes to win the election...

Regards,
Stu

Voting and Elections

Hi All,

Here's another election post - short and sweet!  Click on the links below to get the various pieces of information needed!  All your elections and voting needs are now in one place!

Decide Who to Vote For


Find Your State or Local Election Office Website

How to Vote 

Presidential Election Process

Voter Registration, Requirements, and Deadlines

Voting and Election Laws and History

Remember that the election is on Tuesday, November 8th, 2016!!!

Regards,
Stu

How Elections Work

Hi All,

Now that the presidential election season is in full swing its a great time to learn a bit about elections.  It is a timely, relevant and important topic.

Go figure - for an concise, interesting summary of how the 2016 election works readers can visit the BBC website for an interesting article titled 'US election 2016: How does it all work?'  The YouTube equivalent can be found by clicking on this link.  Its a 5 minute video and introduces students to the key features of elections, democracy and representation in the United States.

For another slant users can click on these next two links:
LibraryPoint.org - How Presidential Elections Work
Votesmart.org - Government 101 - the United States Presidential Primary

I hope the links help you figure out how the presidential election season works!

Regards,
Stu

Voting and Elections

Hi All,

There is a general elections tomorrow - Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015.  Click on this link from the Nassau County Board of Elections to learn more about the voting 

Topics on the page include: How to Register to Vote,  Voting by Absentee Ballot, Voter Registration Search, Frequently Asked Questions, New Voting Machine Instructions, and more.

The link on the page that I thought would be most relevant is the Voter Registration Search page.   Only registered voters of New York State can access the information on this page.  When the user enters the last name, first name, date of birth, county and zip code on the page, the regular polling place information is found.

Users have the option to get directions from this page as well.  Also, voter district information is found. For example, election district, senate district, congressional district, war, county legislative district, assembly district and town information is given.  All in all its a very useful page for voters to look at before the election.

Finally, click on this link for books at the Farmingdale Public Library that deal with voting and elections. 

Enjoy the links and remember to vote!

Regards,
Stu