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

Contact Elected Officials

Hi All,

So let's say you want to contact an elected official about certain problem (garbage collection, your taxes, a complaint about an officials' voting record....). How do you contact an elected government (local, state or federal) official?

Great question and here's the answer.

USA.gov is the official website of the U.S. government.  Click here for the site. 

Click on this link for elected official information. 

The site has three sections - Federal officials, State officials and Local officials.

Click on this link for an online contact form for President Trump.
Use this link for U.S. Senators and this link for U.S. Representatives.

With respect to state officials, click on this link for state governors and this link for state legislators. 

U.S. Mayors can be found at this site.
County Executives can be found at this site. 
Other local government officials can be found at this site - its an alphabetical list of states...

If you need to contact a local, state or federal official these are the places to search first. 

Good luck.

Regards,
Stu

Politics and Facts

Hi All,

Now that election season is starting to kick into high-gear, readers might want to check the facts that various candidates are talking about.  Forthwith, two unbiased, useful, and easy-to-use sites to separate the wheat from the chaff when politicians are talking.

RealClearPolitics
The 'About' page on the RealClearPolitics page says that it is 'the trusted, non-partisan, convener in a content-rich media environment; thoughtfully curating the best coverage from every angle of the day's most critical issues. As a destination for elected officials, opinion leaders and engaged citizens, RealClearPolitics provides a platform, elevating the best-of-the-best in journalism.'

There are links to Polls, Election 2016, Video, Articles and much, much more. 

FactCheck.org
The 'About Us' page on the FactCheck.org page says that it is 'a nonpartisan, nonprofit 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.  We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.  Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.'

There are links to Articles, Ask FactCheck, 2016 Elections, Viral Spiral, Archives and much, much more.  The link to 2016 Elections has a drop down menu with links to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. 

Enjoy the sites and the information.

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