Follow Friday, Blog-Style: A Blog Roll for Election Geeks
[Image courtesy of ChatKathSocial’s Blog]
On Twitter, they have a growing tradition known as Follow Friday where members offer up suggestions of feeds for people to follow.
In that spirit, I want to share my personal “blog roll” – that list of sites I hit every day (and sometimes more than that) to get information and updates about the world of election administration. While you may not be quite as obsessive as I am (which is probably a good thing for us both) this list is a terrific resource when you want quick answers or a deeper dive on the the issues involved with the American election system.
electionline.org – Yes, I have pride of authorship, but electionline.org is still the only place you can go every business day to get nonpartisan news and analysis about election administration – and sign up for the free weekly e-newsletter electionlineWeekly, which includes a roundup of the week’s news and opinion, links to new research reports and at least one original piece of writing looking at what’s new in the field.
Election Law Blog – Professor Rick Hasen of UC-Irvine School of Law hosts what has become over time *the* destination for the latest updates on happenings in the world of election law. He also has a email listserve that often features spirited legal and political discussions about the controversies currently gracing the front pages.
Voting Technology Project – This collaboration between CalTech and MIT (or, if you’re from New England, between MIT and CalTech) was born in the immediate aftermath of the 2000 Presidential election controversy. Since then, VTP has become the center of gravity for rigorous, nonpartisan research – especially on issues of voting technology.
Election Law @ Moritz – Ned Foley, Dan Tokaji, Steve Huefner and the other fellows at Ohio State’s Moritz School of Law have built a crucial source for legal documents in the world of elections. If you’re the kind of person who needs Petitioners’ Reply Brief in Opposition to Respondents’ Request for Stay in a case filed three years ago, chances are you’ll find it here. The gang at Moritz also generates lots of interesting research, including two editions of a study of five Midwestern states entitled From Registration to Recounts.
Election Updates – Thad Hall (Utah), Michael Alvarez (CalTech) and Charles Stewart (MIT) plus several other academics from literally around the world have come together to produce this blog, which takes a slightly more conversational look at some of the most cutting edge research in the field.
earlyvoting.net – Paul Gronke of Reed College is undoubtedly the nation’s leading expert on early and absentee voting, and this site – home to the Early Voting Information Center – houses valuable resources and research – including, in federal election years, a calendar which explains when absentee and early ballots will be in play.
NCSL Elections page – Too often, advocates and others focused on elections forget to engage the men and women who actually make election laws – state legislators in capitals across the country. The NCSL team – Tim Storey, Jennie Bowser, and Wendy Underhill – are filling that gap by creating and sharing information aimed especially at legislators and their staffs. The most popular page on the site is undoubtedly the (recently redesigned and absolutely gorgeous) voter ID map, which is an indispensable cheat sheet for all of us asked to explain the changes on the issues across America. They also produce The Canvass, a regular election newsletter for legislators and staff – if you want to know what legislators know about elections, that’s a pretty good place to start.
Recall Elections Blog – I’ll be honest; until Wisconsin blew up this year, I’d never paid much attention to recall elections. But now, thanks to this amazing blog hosted by Joshua Spivak, Senior Fellow at the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College, I’m learning not just how recalls work but how many there are around the country. I also suspect, as Spivak often hints, that the Wisconsin experience will give other states ideas, which is why this blog is now on my daily short list.
FrontloadingHQ – I’ve already flagged this amazing site by Davidson professor Josh Putnam, but as the jockeying for pole position on next year’s primary calendar begins in earnest, Frontloading HQ’s constantly-updated 2012 election calendar will be an essential resource.
Hopefully you’ll find one or more of these sites bookmark-worthy; either way, please bookmark this blog as I can assure you I’ll be linking to these sites and more in my daily blogging. Have a great weekend!