Describes the News Election Service (NES) which provides election data to the news media for national and local races. Discusses the criteria used by NES to determine which races and which candidates to cover. (JMF)

Explores how "moral" issues interact with voters' core values. Finds that subjects' (military reservists, Reserve Officer Training Corps student members, and undergraduate students) interpretation of issues (as either ethical or material in nature) is strongly related to differences in the type of decision-making strategy used, even after…

Presents and interprets data concerning United States library referenda held in fiscal year 1995. Out of 45 capital fund elections, 39 (87%) were successful; and 52 out of 70 (74%) operating fund referenda passed. The article and six tables provide information on voting totals, funding levels, election specifications, and ballot competition. Nine…

By developing broad community input and support, a Louisiana district (Monroe City Schools) passed a $59 million property tax package. Offers 10 strategies for winning campaigns. (MLF)

Suggests that by taking a realistic approach to the subject matter, social studies teachers can increase their chances of having a positive effect on students. Discuses how to make the subject matter relevant and considers the role of the mass media. (SG)

College students who worked as interns for the Chinese Progressive Association in New York City in 1988 describe their experiences. They helped the organization with their energy, knowledge of computers, and bilingual skills. However, they were dismayed to see the political disenfranchisement and the gerrymandering which occurs in the Chinatown…

An Illinois school system won a bond issue election with a 30-day marketing campaign. Helpful marketing practices include identification of the target audience and finding the best medium to reach the audience. (MLF)

Describes a one-week lesson in which gummy-bears candy was used to illustrate sampling procedures and to generate discussion and questions. Reports data results and students' reactions to problems of representation after holding an election. (MKR)

Discusses the mathematics of weighted voting schemes, including representative government. Shows how power is a decreasing function of population size and how tiny parties can have the same power as large constituencies. (MKR)

Proposes that by bringing our political system onto campuses and into classrooms, educators can play an important role in encouraging students to become engaged citizens. Highlights a number of different approaches to use with groups of young citizens that support participation in the political process. (GCP)

Examines factors related to immigrant incorporation and voting participation, adding immigrant-related variables to a model controlling for individual resources, social incorporation, institutional barriers, and contexts of political mobilization. Current Population Survey data indicate that there is little support for straight-line…

Objective: To learn about candidates for a political office by presenting and listening to speeches about the candidates and their platforms. Type of speech: Informative. Point value: 100 points, which is 10% of course grade. Requirements: (a) References: Minimum of 3 from recent and varying publications; (b) Length: 5-7 minutes; (c) Visual aid:…

There is increasing public discussion about whether the cultural institutions of the United States are ideologically skewed, relative to the general population. The major realms of political culture include the news media, K-12 schooling, academia, governmental institutions, cause-directed organizations, grant-making private foundations, the…

Previous research on differences in civic engagement between young people with some college experience and those without suggests that college attendance is positively associated with some measures of civic engagement. This Fact Sheet presents new evidence, but largely supporting the findings of other researchers, on the correlation between a wide…

A voter education package was developed to aid institutional personnel in educating the residents from state mental health facilities in the methods of registering to vote, developing the necessary skills in the voting process, and the use of the voting machine. The curriculum was taught to 38 residents in the Harrisburg State Hospital who had…