What movie scenes would you show a middle school class to teach them the nature/importance of democracy?
posted by EnormousTalkingOnion on Nov 30, 2009 - 19 answers

Reasons the United States does not vote by mail in elections? [more inside]
posted by jca on Nov 4, 2008 - 32 answers

Electoral College filter: Why do nearly all states award their electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis, when splitting them up could get them more attention and favorable policies? [more inside]
posted by Dec One on Nov 3, 2008 - 35 answers

I live in Arkansas. It's a Super Tuesday state, and I can vote in either party primary. Polls currently suggest that Clinton and Huckabee (both of whom have Arkansas ties) are way, way, way ahead in my state. I prefer Obama to Clinton, but I'm not in love with either of them, and, really, I just want to see a Democrat win the general election. Bearing all of this in mind, how should I vote in the primary?
posted by box on Jan 30, 2008 - 46 answers

What prevents illegal immigrants from voting? Assuming illegal voting occurs how do you feel about it (looking for opinions from all sides)? [more inside]
posted by gnash on Feb 22, 2006 - 50 answers

Do they still continue to count ballots after one of the candidates concedes to the other? What happens if someone concedes and then it's found out that he had the votes needed to win?
posted by FunkyHelix on Nov 3, 2004 - 5 answers

As I understand it, the US election is won by winning areas and then counting up how many wins each person got. Give or take. It's not all that important to the question.

Does anyone know if/when the actual voter figures will be released? I'd love to compare this system to a true winner-takes-all system...
posted by twine42 on Nov 3, 2004 - 4 answers

Domestic absentee voting predicament: So I sent away for an absentee ballot, from a county elections office 8 hours away. They goofed, mistakenly thought it was a registration to vote at the local polls -- and mailed me a sample ballot instead. Now it's too late to get an absentee ballot. Am I pwned, or is there some (federal?) backup form I can use? I live in California.
posted by inksyndicate on Oct 27, 2004 - 4 answers

Last week I received my absentee ballot for Central Massachusetts. I haven't been there in a few years, so I don't recognize some of the candidates running for the more obscure offices. When Google fails, and the local newspaper coverage is sketchy, how do you go about finding out more information about these candidates? [more inside]
posted by ar0n on Oct 20, 2004 - 6 answers

I'm looking for a web page that asks for a zip code (or an address) and returns the voting district, what candidates are running on the ballot and any other measures or items up for the vote. Does anything like this exist on a national, state or more local level?

I know that Paul Ford is screenscraping the Government, but I'm assuming that won't be done in time for this November's election.
posted by djacobs on Oct 8, 2004 - 1 answer

US election question: The US Presidential election is being held Nov. 2, 2004. Last election was on Nov. 7th. I was confused last time and this time because I swear that I remember learning that elections are always held on the second Tuesday of November. Anyone aware of whether that second Tuesday thing is a rule, and, if so, is there some historical origin to it? If it is a rule, anyone know why the last two elections were held on the first Tuesday of November?
posted by Seth on Sep 14, 2004 - 8 answers

What's the easiest way to figure out where I'm registered to vote? I've moved several times in-state, and I'm not sure whether I've updated my registration, or, whether I've updated or not, where my voting center would be.
posted by emptybowl on Sep 13, 2004 - 6 answers

With all this talk about potential touch-screen voting machines, I was thinking, "What, exactly, is the big deal? Worst case scenario, even?" I've heard 1/3 of the senate is up for grabs, along with the entire house of representatives and the presidency (correct me if I'm wrong). So, what would happen if there is some touch-screen SNAFU and they all came back republican? Is there anything anybody could do? Also, with a CURRENT republican majority in the house, the senate and a conservative leaning supreme court (that might not have jurisdiction), what if the probable investigations are stymied until January?
posted by taumeson on Sep 7, 2004 - 10 answers

Girl came to my door asking if I wanted to vote in the caucus or whatever for Howard Dean. I said no because I am one ignorant American when it comes to the election. Would someone explain caucuses, the party system, how the president gets elected, the electoral college and everything?
posted by banished on Jan 29, 2004 - 5 answers

We've seen how Internet has been used effectively in several national political campaigns. I'm wondering if this can be efficiently adapted to smaller races (city/county/state). I'm also on the lookout for any online resources that would facilitate mounting a serious campaign; advice on tactical matters, budgeting a campaign, opportunities to exploit and pitfalls to avoid, networking with like-minded individuals, novel ways to reach out to voters, etc. [more inside]
posted by RavinDave on Dec 22, 2003 - 2 answers