2008 Presidential Election Resources
 Registering to Vote & Absentee Ballot Info
 The Collegian's Campaign Coverage
2008 Election News Resources | Candidate Information | Issue Tracker
The Presidential Debates | Campaign Speeches & Ads | Checking Their Facts
Public Opinion of Candidates | Campaign Finance
Electoral College | Election Predictions | Historical Election Info | Youth Vote
Books on Presidential Elections & Rhetoric @ UR
Registering to Vote & Absentee Voting Information
To register to vote in Virginia click on the link below for the State Board of Elections:
Virginia State Board of Elections
University of Richmond Students can register to vote in Virginia. Please note, that if you are registered in your home state, registering in VA will cancel your previous registration. For more information:
Virginia Registration and Voting Information for College Students
If you wish to place your vote in your home state, and are already registered, you will need to request an absentee vote from there. Select the link below which will take you to a list of every state's Election Director's website for information on absentee voting:
National Association of State Election Directors (NASED)
Note that different states have deadlines for registering and submitting your absentee vote before the General Election, which will be Nov. 4th, 2008.
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The Collegian's Campaign Coverage
The Collegian - Providing coverage of the 2008 campaign, including local events and polls of UR students' opinions on candidates and issues of this election.
Election 2008 Blog - A comprehensive blog with a wide range of UR students and faculty writing about the candidates and issues of the 2008 Presidential Election.
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2008 Presidential Election News Resources
These resources offer access to the current events shaping the 2008 Presidential race.
NY Times - Election Guide 2008 - Information on campaign issues, candidates, polls, electoral maps, etc.
Wall Street Journal - Election 2008 - Covers information on 2008 Presidential Campaign, particularly economic issues.
NPR - Election 2008 - Covers candidates' campaigns, state primaries & caucuses, analysis of campaign strategies, and profiles of the Presidential candidates.
Real Clear Politics - Pulls the latest commentary, news, and polling data about the 2008 Election in one place.
Washington Week - Provides coverage and discussion of the weekly news events of the US government by journalists from top-tier new organizations. There has been extensive coverage of the 2008 campaign on this show, much of it is available from transcripts, podcasts, and streaming video of each broadcast.
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Candidate Information
These resources provide information on the candidates, their policies, and the states of their campaigns.
2008 Presidential Candidate Campaign Websites - Contain information about individual candidate including biography, political policies, and campaign focus. These resources will definitely be biased for the individual candidate.
Nominees for the 2008 Presidential Election
 Democratic Party  Republican Party
 
Wikipedia - United States Presidential Election, 2008 entry* - Provides a good overall list of the various candidates running, potential candidates, and those who have dropped out of the race. Links to other Wikipedia entries of the candidates.
*- Bear in mind that Wikipedia is a good starting resource, but its authority is generally not recognized due to the impermanence of the information and the motivations of those who provide entries.
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Issue Tracker
Washington Post tracks the number of times current presidential candidates refer to different issues in their speeches and debates. This resource takes a moment to load.
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The Presidential & Vice-Presidential Debates
Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates are some of the most important events in the campaign cycle. It is the opportunity for the public to hear details of the candidates' opinions and policies on important national and international issues. Televised debates are also opportunities to see how candidates deal with pressure and handle critiques of their positions and responses, which many consider a indication of the demeanor a candidate will have as President.
Debate Debating Politics - Covers a concise history of televised presidential debates, their formats, and the hidden negotiations done by campaigns to ensure the best outcome possible for their candidates. Created by the University of Richmond Debate Program Director and Assistant Debate Coach.
WTVR 6 - Campaign 08:VP Debates - This local news report on the upcoming Vice-Presidential Candidates' Debate including an interview with Kevin Kuswa, the University of Richmond Debate Program Director.
Dates of the debates:
 1st Presidential Debate - Friday Sept. 26, 2008 @ the University of Mississippi
 Vice-Presidential Debate - Thursday Oct. 2, 2008 @ Washington University in St. Louis, MO
 2nd Presidential Debate - Tuesday, Oct. 7th, 2008 @ Belmont University
 3rd Presidential Debate - Wednesday, Oct. 15th, 2008 @ Hofstra University
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Campaign Speeches & Advertisements
Find videos of candidate speeches, debates, and advertisements through these online resources.
YouChoose '08 - Face the Candidates on YouTube - Provides candidates' speeches and ads organized by topic and candidates.
CSPAN'S Campaign Network - Contains videos of presidential candidates' speeches and ads organized by date and candidate.
Comedy Central's Indecision 2008 - Provides interviews of candidates from The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, along with faux news and a blog.
Analysis of the roles of the US media, campaign advertising, and the Internet in the 2008 Presidential Election are provided in the following resources.
Wisconsin Advertising Project - Follows advertising events and trends of the election by the University of Wisconsin, also provides data regarding advertising in past elections back to 1998
Campaign 2008 - Presidential Campaign Ads - Provides video of 2008 campaign ads from the Political Communication Lab at Stanford University.
Project for Excellence in Journalism - Analysis of the US news media including how much press coverage is dedicated to each 2008 presidential candidate and election issues overall by the Pew Research Center.
Internet's Broader Role in Campaign 2008 - Report from the Pew Research Center For the People and the Press on the impact of the Internet on this presidential campaign cycle.
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Checking Their Facts
Determine the accuracy and validity of campaign claims and criticisms using these resources.
 FactCheck.org - Monitors claims made in campaign speeches, ads, debates, interviews, and news releases to ensure accuracy. A trusted non-partisan organization funded through the Annenburg Foundation.
 PolitiFact.com - Rates accuracy of candidates' statements on their records, attacks on opponents, and organizes statements by issue/topic. Developed by St. Petersburg Times & CQ.com.
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Public Opinion Polls of the Candidates
Presidential candidates and the media make use of public opinion polls prior to elections to measure the popularity and electibility of candidates in the eyes of the American public. These resources show the results of opinion polls.
Pollster.com - Displays recent polls regarding public opinion of candidates by state primary and provides excellent analysis of what the polls mean, including the NH polling errors.
iPoll's US Presidential Election 2008 - Provides up to date polls on the mood of Americans over the presidential candidates, domestic issues, the economy, Iraq, etc.
American Research Group - Contains public opinion of the Republican and Democratic candidates by state, includes the questions asked, and the research methodology used to design the poll.
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Campaign Finance Information
The financial aspects of the presidential election process are often the most discussed and debated of any portion of the race. Here are resources from the US government and watchdog groups who track the amount of money donated to candidates.
The Campaign Finance Institute - Non-partisan organization providing research and policy recommendations regarding campaign financing in the United States.
US Federal Election Commission (FEC) - Provides statistics of contributions to candidates, campaign finance filings, campaign finance laws, and financial reports of presidental and congressional candidates from 1993 - current.
OpenSecrets.org - 2008 Race for the White House - Provides financial statistics by state, region, metropolitan area, and zip code of the money given to candidates, as well as the amount of money being spent by each campaign. Also contains information on demographics of contributors, party fund-raising techniques, and industries donating money to candidates.
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Electoral College
The Electoral College is the body of electors who are nominated at state level party conventions to vote as an elector in the current Presidential election. This system was designed in order to ensure power sharing between the states, and is meant to balance the popular vote in the Presidential election. Electors can pass over the popular vote of their states, but usually, electors follow the trend of the popular vote of their state.
Official website of the Electoral College - Provides information about the electoral college, resources covering the 2008 Presidential election, historic election results, etc.
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Election Predictions
Many people interested in politics and political researchers provide projections and predictions on which candidate will win the presidential election based off of the electorial votes presumed to be decided and those still up for grabs.
270 to Win - Focuses on the movement of the electoral votes, particularly the 270 votes needed to win the majority of the electoral votes (out of 538 total).
Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball '08 - Sabato is a professor at UVa and this website focuses on the current aspects of the presidential campaign, including the current Electoral College coverage and in-depth analysis.
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Historical Election Information
These resources provide information about the outcomes of past US Presidential Elections and their significance.
Voting America - Provides cinematic & interactive maps as well as analysis of US Elections outcomes from 1840-2004. Created by the Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond.
Census Bureau - Voting & Registration - Provides reports & statistics on the voters who registered and voted from 1964-2006, covering breakdown by age, gender, race, education level, etc.
Ease History - Covers the historical events, advertisements, and outcomes of the US Presidential elections of the 20th & 21st Centuries.
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Youth Vote
CIRCLE - Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement - Focuses exclusively on 15-25 year olds and their levels of political engagement, particulary for the 2008 Presidential Election. Includes statistics and reports on voting, registration, youth attitudes, etc. on voting and political activism.
Youth Vote 2008 - The Century Foundation Issue Brief - Report covering the importance of getting youth involved with voting in the US.
New Voters Project - Student PIRGs - Combination of youth vote awareness (including how to register to vote, getting involved with campaigns, knowing your voting rights, etc.) and research on youth vote in the US.
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Books on Presidential Elections & Rhetoric at UR
Links in this section will take you directly to the University of Richmond Libraries catalog record for each title.
Bennet, R. (2006). Taming the electoral college. Stanford, CA: Stanford Law and Politics.
Brader, T. (2006). Campaigning for the hearts and minds: how emotional appeals in political ads work. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Cook, R. (2008). Race for the presidency: winning the 2008 nomination. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.
Franz, M.M. (2008). Campaign advertising and American democracy. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Geer, J.G. (2006). In defense of negativity: attack ads in presidential campaigns. Chicago University of Chicago Press.
Griffith, B. (2008). America votes!: a guide to modern election law and voting rights. Chicago: American Bar Association.
Halperin, M. (2006). The way to win: taking the White House in 2008. New York: Random House.
Hill, D. (2006). American voter turnout: an institutional perspective. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Mayer, W.G. (2008). The making of the presidential candidates 2008. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Mayer, W.G. (2008). The swing voter in American politics. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.
Panagopoulos, C. (2007). Rewiring politics: presidential nominating conventions in the media age. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.
Polsby, N.W., Wildavsky, A. & Hopkins, D.A. (2008). Presidential elections: strategies and structures of American politics (12th ed). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Shogan, C.J. (2006). The moral rhetoric of American presidents. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press.
Wayne, S.J. (2008). The road to the White House 2008: the politics of presidential elections. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
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Last Updated: 2008-10-02
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